Company Watch - BSkyB :: Business and Management Studies

Company Watch - BSkyB COMPANY WATCH The company that I have chosen that is in the Ftse 100 is BSkyB and the rival company to BSkyB that I have chosen is Cable & Wireless (C & W). I will be monitoring these companies over four weeks and recording and analysing their share prices as well as the Ftse 100. I will be using The Times newspaper to obtain share prices and business information regarding the companies and the Ftse. HISTORY OF BSKYB In 1989 Sky introduced satellite television to the UK with four channels. By 1990 sky reached one million homes and merged with British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB) to form BSkyB. In 1991 Sky and BSB streamline their channels into five separate channels. Between 1992 and 1993 BSkyB secures exclusive rights to live FA Premier League football coverage and Sky Multi-Channels launch with a package of 14 channels at basic subscription level. In 1994 five more channels are introduced and Sky announces  £13 million investment in British films including a major output deal with British Screen. Also in 1994 17% of BSkyB is floated on the UK and US Stock Exchanges. By 1995 BSkyB enters the FTSE 100 index, six more channels are added and subscribers exceed five million. In 1996 BSkyB secure a contract for FA Premier league football until 2001 season. In 1998 Sky digital launches offering 140 channels. More than 100,000 decoders are sold in the first 30 days. In 1999 BSkyB enters the list of world's top 250 companies. Also Sky digital is the fastest growing digital platform in Europe acquiring over 1.2 million subscribers in just 10 months and free set top digital box offer increases subscribers. In 2000 Sky receives Gold Award for outstanding contribution to television at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards and digital subscribers grow to 3 million. In 2001 BSkyB reaches its target of 5 million subscribers and switches off its analogue signal, BSkyB also launch Sky +, Europe's first fully integrated personal television recorder. By now in 2002 Sky digital now reaches 5.7 million households which is a quarter of all British homes and has a target of 7 million digital subscribers by the end of 2003. For the first time, more people are watching multichannel television than the five traditional public service channels. HOW BSKYB HAS FARED OVER 4 WEEK PERIOD Articles Concerning BSkyB Over this period the main articles for BSkyB in the news were that Dawn Airey will become the managing director of BskyB, being paid  £1 million a year. Dawn Airey formerly work as the Channel Five chief executive but was seemingly joining the ITV network but was snatched