Teleclub

Tele Club is one of the first pay-TV channels in Europe. The station was founded in 1982 in Switzerland and beamed from 1984 to 1991 its program in Germany. Tele Club can be received only in Switzerland today.

History

In May 1982, Tele Club went in Zurich cable network with a trial license on the air, making it one of the oldest pay television channels in Europe. Initially the transmitter each showed at 20:15 to 22:15 clock a feature film, the monthly fee was 28 Swiss Francs. After issuance of a definitive broadcasting license Tele Club began in May 1984 with the official operation. Via Eutelsat was supplied to the program on cable networks in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The subscription price was unchanged, however, offered Tele Club premieres new 180 annually, which were spread over three to seven timeslots daily. The viewing times are from Monday to Thursday 17:30 to about 23 clock, Friday to about 0:30 clock. Saturday began the operation at 15:30, Sundays at 10:30 clock already. Between the films offered Tele Club an extensive uncoded and thus free program. It was next to a natural infomercial ( "Info- Show") also from documentation, Fun and Comedy. Until 1985 Tele club had 40,000 subscribers in Switzerland.

From 1 November 1986, the program was broadcast (subscription price of 29 DM per month ) in Germany locally in Hanover, but could win only 700 subscribers by the end of 1987. Because of the small audience response the previous shareholders Bertelsmann increased ( 30%) and Springer (30%) in January 1988 from the Tele Club GmbH, leaving Leo Kirch, the Beta - Taurus group responsible for the company.

Via satellite, the program was broadcast until 1987 completely unencrypted. The reason: Tele Club on left the choice of the encryption system cable operators, which is why the transmit signal is encrypted until the cable head-end.

In spring 1990 Tele Club expanded its program in Switzerland massive. For the first time the subscription price rose to 30 francs. For the transmitter now showed 300 films annually and extended the airtime on 14 hours a day ( 10:30 to about 0:30 clock ).

In early 2006, were first awarded the TV rights for the first Swiss football and ice hockey league in Cinetrade and Tele Club in Switzerland. This meant that the Swiss television only a small number of football and hockey games ( the summaries in " Sports News " and the "Sport Panorama" excluded) and Sat.1 Switzerland could ever emit no more football games. Sat.1 Switzerland negotiated with Tele Club, however, an agreement from which they initially eligible for the 2006/07 season to show a Sunday match per week live. This no longer applies since the 2007 /08 season, however. Instead builds Tele Club its sports coverage massively.

Division

On February 28, 1991, Tele Club withdrew from the neighboring countries: In Germany and Austria started on its frequencies Premiere, Tele Club could be subscribed only by residing in Switzerland as of now. Nevertheless, the program via satellite remained encrypted receivable. Tele Club remaining after the division 85,000 Swiss customers - how many subscribers the program today has is unclear, as are communicated for a long time no current figures.

Piracy

Tele Club was regularly a victim of piracy. In the mid- 1980s were sold in Switzerland illegal decoders for the reception via cable. As a Tele Club in the late 1980s encrypted satellite signal be, the pirates have focused on the distribution of its decoder outside of Switzerland. Early 1990s were offered in professional journals in Germany and Austria for the equivalent of 100 to 200 German Mark decoder as a commodity, legally let himself against the sales in countries outside the official coverage area then little companies.

Tele Club could put an end to these goings until he in 1992 changed the encryption system its satellite signal. Tele Club was still receivable via satellite to 2001 ( first via Astra, then via DFS Copernicus ). Since then, Tele Club is only available via cable - which is supplied via a directional beam Swisscom network. For owners of satellite receivers Tele Club sells since then in Switzerland subscriptions to Sky Germany (formerly Premiere AG) - contrast to other rates and with different package compositions than in Germany.

Digitizing

Since May 1, 2002 Tele Club spreads its program digitally. The analog signal was gradually withdrawn from the cable networks. The original program is now called " TeleclubCinema ", a second channel with older movies is broadcast under the name " TeleclubStar ". In Tele - Club Digital package also currently are 15 external stations - offered - mostly from the House of Sky Germany. The subscription fee is depending on the package between 39,90 (Tele Club Basic) and 69.60 (Tele Club Basic World Family Movie World Sportsworld ) francs. Tele Club points out that "the Pay -Per-View channels from Sky Germany ( Sky Select ) can not be subscribed because of license restrictions in Switzerland ".

Simultaneously with the digitization began a dispute between Tele Club and the largest Swiss cable network operator Cablecom. Initially refused Cablecom digital broadcasting of tele- club, Tele Club was able to obtain the feed via court decision until the end of 2002. This court decision was indeed invalidated later, Tele Club but remained in the digital networks of Cablecom switched. The feud was rekindled when Tele Club increased its offer was shared by 12 to 17 channels in autumn 2005. However, Cablecom prevented in its networks expansion. Background of the recent dispute should also indirect Swisscom holding Teleclub be, which is the largest Cablecom competitor in the field of telephony and the Internet today. This dispute has now been resolved, so that Cablecom customers can receive all 17 programs. Since July 24, 2007 can also be ordered directly via Cablecom the offer of Tele Club.

In addition to the the program was available on a total of 30 stations, eleven other sports channel and the two Disney Disney Junior channels (previously Playhouse Disney) and Disney XD (formerly Toon Disney), for customers of Swisscom TV (formerly Bluewin TV) expanded. The many sports channels, therefore, to ensure that all Swiss football and hockey games are broadcast in parallel.

Tele Club channels

• TeleclubCinema - the latest movies
• TeleclubStar - Film highlights of the last three decades
• Disney Channel, Disney XD, Disney Junior, Disney Cinemagic
• Tele Club Sport 1, Sport 2 Tele Club, Tele Club Sport 3
• Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Mirror story
• Romance TV, Sky Thriller, Sat.1 Comedy, Fox Channel, 13th Street, MGM Channel

Future with Swisscom

Principal shareholder of Tele Club is the company Cinetrade AG the Swiss Stephan Sager. Besides Cinetrade also the Swiss media company Ringier is involved. Former shareholders included the Swiss Rediffusion or the Kirch Group. Sager, since the beginning Tele Club, said to have excellent relations with the film studios - but he himself enters the public on rare, are almost never interviews. 2005, Swisscom has participated in Cinetrade and operates together with this company in 2006 its own IPTV service. This was launched as Bluewin TV on 1 November 2006 and renamed in November 2009 Swisscom TV. About this platform next to free TV channels and the tele Club programs and become a " video on demand " offer spread.