BBC World Service TV
| BBC World Service Television BBC WSTV (Asia) |
|
|---|---|
|
|
| Launched | 11 March 1991 |
| Closed | 26 January 1995 |
| Network | BBC |
| Owned by | BBC |
| Picture format | 576i (4:3 SDTV) |
| Country | UK |
| Broadcast area | Worldwide |
| Headquarters | BBC Television Centre |
| Replaced | BBC TV Europe |
| Replaced by |
BBC World BBC Prime |
BBC World Service Television, often abbreviated to WSTV (World Service Television), was the name of two BBC international satellite television channels between 1991 and 1995. It was the BBC's first foray into worldwide television broadcasting. In Europe, it was the successor to BBC TV Europe, replacing it on 11 March 1991. The service was also launched in Asia as a 24-hour news and information service with minor differences, a precursor to BBC World News, launched on 14 October 1991.
Unlike BBC World Service at the time, it was not funded by the British government with a grant-in-aid. Instead, it was funded either by subscription or by commercial advertising, with commercials that were inserted locally by the cable or satellite providers. In the years that followed, the BBC would insert news headlines and other updates to fill the gaps, known as 'break fillers'.
In Europe, BBC WSTV replaced BBC TV Europe on 11 March 1991 as the BBC's subscription-funded entertainment service. Like BBC TV Europe, it was a mix of BBC1 and BBC2, but with a schedule pattern more synchronised to Central European Time and many of its first-run programmes timeshifted to more suitable times for viewing at CET in place of the near-continuous direct rebroadcast of BBC1 and its schedule pattern timed to UK (GMT/BST) time, as well as showing specially commissioned World Service News bulletins from Television Centre. The BBC World Service News studio looked like the BBC's domestic news, though with different graphics and an on-screen logo. The station also broadcast its own Children's BBC junctions from Presentation Studio A.
Outside Europe, BBC World Service Television was the name of the 24-hour news, information and current affairs service, launched in Asia on 14 October 1991, on STAR TV, available from Turkey to South Korea on AsiaSat. Competing against CNN International, it showed current affairs and documentary programming from BBC One and BBC Two, in addition to BBC World Service News.
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