| 1987 |
 Chronomedia index
Numbers after entries link to the list of references. |
links and notes |
| |
Cultural highlights | Predictions made this year |
|
| January 15 |
Paramount Home Video announces a promotion deal with Pepsi Cola to include a 30-second commercial for Diet Pepsi at the start of the video release of Top Gun, which will sell for $3 less than the usual consumer video price. |
|
| January 18 |
In the week just ended, US Public Broadcasting System (PBS) achieves an audience reach of more than 100m viewers (ie, watching at some time during the week) for the first time. |
|
| January 25 |
American football's Super Bowl XXI is seen by 127m US viewers and sets a new record for advertising rates: $600,000 per 30 seconds. |
|
| January 30 |
UK cable channel Superchannel is launched. |
|
| February 19 |
First anti-smoking commercial is aired on US television, featuring lung cancer sufferer Yul Brynner. |
|
| February |
M6, owned by Compagnie Luxembourgeoise de Télédifusion (CLT), absorbs TV6 French music channel. |
|
| February |
CD-Video standard is agreed by Philips and Sony. |
|
| March |
Digital Video Interactive (DVI) technology is demonstrated by the GE/David Sarnoff Research Center. It gives 70 minutes of full-motion video from a conventional CD-ROM disc. |
|
| April |
France’s main state television channel, Télévision Française 1 (TF1), is privatised—the first commercial sale of a public service broadcaster in the world. |
|
| April 16 |
MTV Australia created by licensing deal with Nine Network for terrestrial transmission. |
|
| April 19 |
First appearance of The Simpsons as a segment on The Tracey Ullman Show. |
|
| April |
Pioneer begins mass production of CD-Video. |
|
| May 15 |
Law on Film and Videograms is enacted by the Norwegian parliament. |
|
| June |
Philips announces the first full Compact Disc-Interactive (CD-i) functional specification. Sony creates the first demonstration disc of the system's possibilities. Products in the format is now scheduled to be launched in the second half of 1988. |
|
| July 1 |
New York radio station WFAN-AM becomes the first with a round-the-clock sports format. |
|
| June |
Pioneer launches the first CD combi-player with CD-Video capability in US. It sells for $800. |
|
| August 1 |
MTV Europe satellite/cable channel launched from UK. |
|
| August 6 |
UK national broadcasters agree to work towards a target of 25 per cent of programmes being produced by independent producers, a recommendation of the Peacock Committee. |
|
| August 31 |
CBS Records ships 2.25m pre-release orders of Michael Jackson's album Bad. |
|
| August |
The 'fairness doctrine' in US broadcasting is abolished by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). |
|
| August |
JVC announces its high definition VHD video disc system. |
The quest for home video |
| October |
Windsor Television becomes the first UK cable company to be licensed to provide a cable telephony service. |
|
| November |
Mercury Communications is authorised to install public telephone booths in competition with British Telecom. |
|
| December 11 |
Charlie Chaplin’s hat and cane sell at Christie’s auction house, London for £82,500, his boots for £38,000. |
|
| December 11 |
 Philips produces a demonstration disc of the interactive possibilities of the CD-i disc and publishes a designer's manual for the CD-i format. |
Click on the cover for more details |
| end |
Soviet jamming of BBC broadcasts in Russian ceases. |
|
| • |
BBC TV Europe subscription-based service is launched via satellite and cable, showing a compilation of programmes from the domestic television channels. |
> 1991 March 11 |
| • |
Shepperton Studios becomes part of the Lee Panavision group. |
|
| • |
The cost of preparing a ‘pan-and-scan’ version of a wide-screen movie for television is up to $8,000. |
|
| • |
Pioneer starts CD player production in France. |
|
| • |
RDS (Radio Data System) is introduced in Germany, providing information about radio channels and programmes encoded in the signal. |
|
| • |
Commodore Amiga A500 personal computer goes on sale in the UK at £499 plus VAT. |
|
| • |
Virgin takes a 45 per cent stake in the Mastertronic Group. As Virgin Mastertronic, it becomes a subsidiary of Virgin and works to develop the European market for Sega products, in which Mastertronic has recently acquired distribution rights. |
> 1991 |
