UK TV Timeline

1926- mechanical television test transmission started

1929- first official broadcast

1936- analogue terrestrial
          the bbc launches electronic television broadcasts, the bbc television service, from alexandra palace.
1938- community antenna tv launches in bristol and kingston upon hill. the Uk's first cable service.

1939 - analogue TV
world war 2 the bbc television service ceases from september 1939 to 1946

1955- Regulation
Rediffussion vision start at 625- line cable service
1955- analogue terrestrial
the UK's second channel, begins when associated rediffusion, the first ITV franchise, launches.

1964- programming
BBC two launches, in a high defenition 625- line format. as it is broadcast in a different format, some owners of TV are unable to receive it. BBC tv changes its name to BBC one

1966- the 1966 world cup broadcasts on BBC one and ITV. with 32.3 million viewers in total making of the most watched broadcast.

1967- analogue terrestrial
colour transmission begin on BBC two

1968- analogue terrestrial
the ITV emergency national service replaces the regional ITV network.

1969- the apollo 11 moon landing is broadcasted to bbc one bbc two and ITV

1974- analogue terrestrial
Ceefax and ORACLE the UK's first teletext services, launch.

1979- analogue terrestrial
almost all ITV broadcasts cease on ITV due to 10 week industrial dispute.

1982- analogue terrestrial
ITV franchise changes took effect- central independent
television west replaced television

1985- analogue terrestrial
launch of channel 4 and S4C, the UK's second and third independent channels. the ITV companies sold channels 4 airtime. Until the end of 1992. ITV and Channel 4 promoted each other until 1998.
1989- sky launches a subscription satellite service with pay per movie and events.

1990- regulation
the broadcasting act of 1990 abolishes the independent broadcasting authority and cable authority. and replaces them with the independent television commission.  

1991- analogue terrestrial
two ITV regions and channel 4 broadcast stereo sound transmission using NICAM.

1992- analogue settings
after merging with sky, BskyB ceases transmissions on BSB's satellites

1997- channel 5 launches, it is the first uk terrestrial broad cast to also launch on sky.

1998- BskyB launches skydigital, now marketed as skyTV, the UK's first digital satalite service

1999- kingston interactive television, the UK's first IPTV service, the UK's first video on demand service.

2001- BSkyB stops it analogue satalite service

2002- ITV digital stops and the launch of free view

2003- the communication act 2003 stops the independent television commission and replaces it with Ofcom.

2004- the launch of the top up TV

2006- NTL and telewest merge. the bbc and itv broadcast the 2006 fifa world cup.

2007- BBC launch bbc iplayer. a website in which you can watch BBC shows and programmes.
           ITV on demand with the same concept launches as well.

2008- freesat launches, a free satalite television service launches.

2009- virgin media closes the last analogue cable areas

2012- analogue terrestrial UHF transmissions cease in all regions.