Skai TV
Encyclopedia
Skai TV is a Greek TV station, based in Pireus, Athens
. It is part of the Skai Group
one of the largest media groups in Greece. It was relaunched in its present form on April 1, 2006 in Athens and gradually managed to spread its coverage nationwide. Besides analog over-the-air
transmission, it is also available encrypted through Nova
bouquet via Hot Bird
satellite at 13°E. Skai TV is also a member of the Digea
consortium, which plans to co-establish (with ERT
) Digital TV
terrestrial transmission in Greece. Digea has announced that the DVB-T
MPEG-4
standard is to be used.
At launch, Skai TV opted for dubbing all foreign language content into Greek, instead of using subtitles. This is very uncommon in Greece for anything except documentaries (using voiceover dubbing) and children's programs (using lip-synced dubbing), so after intense criticism the station switched to using subtitles for almost all foreign shows.
Skai TV has been ferociously criticized by Greek progressives and socialists for unabashedly promoting right-wing, conservative and neoliberal politics in its news reporting and political commentary, and for being essentially the mouthpiece of big business
in Greece. Recently, it has also been soundly criticized by some Greek conservative commentators for its political documentaries; they feel that Skai's documentaries often depict the Greek people as cunning, deceitful and lazy
. The new station had an entirely different programming perspective and opted for a more mainstream profile, soon managing to become one of the top three TV stations in Greece
.
Original Skai TV was heavily criticized for its "yellow press
" news coverage and low-budget programming. In an incident still remembered by Greek viewers and later investigated by a Channel 4
documentary
, the station was unanimously slated for its involvement (and live coverage) of a hostage situation that ended with the death of the victim.
In 2006, the company who originally launched Skai TV bought Seven TV, a holder of a Greek National broadcasting licence holder that failed to expand its coverage all over the country or attract a wide audience. The station was renamed to 'Skai TV' allowing the brand to re-emerge on the Greek television scene after 7 years, but this time the owners decided to forego their previous approach and opted for high-quality foreign shows and valid news coverage.
On September 6, 2007, Skai TV was added to the lineup of NOVA Greece
digital platform.
and instaled by British company VSC Design. The system is considered by the former as a showcase example of the system. Skai also use Omneon
Spectrum servers for Playout together with IBIS automation.
Skai TV is also the first station in Greece
to broadcast its full programme in 16:9 format
.
, Discovery Channel
and the BBC
and a large part of its schedule features recent and past-years documentaries. There is also a Greek dubbed BBC World News news bulletin following the station's own news bulletin and a news-themed morning show.
America's Funniest Home Videos
, American Chopper
, Brainiac: Science Abuse
, Californication
, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
, CSI: Miami
, CSI: NY
, Deadliest Catch
, Dexter
, Doctor Who
, MythBusters
, Queer Eye
, Robin Hood), Sasuke
, Supernanny
, The F Word and The Oprah Winfrey Show
.
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. It is part of the Skai Group
Skai Group
Skai Group is one of the largest media groups in Greece. It consists of one television station, three radio stations, one news web portal and one publishing house. The media group is connected with "I KATHIMERINI" S.A...
one of the largest media groups in Greece. It was relaunched in its present form on April 1, 2006 in Athens and gradually managed to spread its coverage nationwide. Besides analog over-the-air
Terrestrial television
Terrestrial television is a mode of television broadcasting which does not involve satellite transmission or cables — typically using radio waves through transmitting and receiving antennas or television antenna aerials...
transmission, it is also available encrypted through Nova
NOVA Greece
NOVA Greece is a Greek digital satellite pay TV platform owned by Multichoice Hellas. It was launched in December 1999.NOVA offers Greek subscribers an array of international and domestic programmes plus the majority of popular Greek terrestrial TV channels along with a number of Greek...
bouquet via Hot Bird
Hot Bird
Hot Bird is the name of a popular family of satellites operated by Eutelsat, located at 13°E over the Equator and with a transmitting footprint over Europe, North Africa and the Middle East....
satellite at 13°E. Skai TV is also a member of the Digea
DIGEA
Digea, the company established by the private national scale television stations , has undertaken digital broadcasting of television programs for private stations of national range as well as for any other stations choosing to use its services.The name Digea was not a haphazard choice...
consortium, which plans to co-establish (with ERT
Elliniki Radiofonia Tileorasi
The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation is the Greek state-owned public radio and television broadcasting corporation. It is a member of EBU.Since 70's ERT is part of the Eurovision Song Contest, organized by EBU...
) Digital TV
Digital television
Digital television is the transmission of audio and video by digital signals, in contrast to the analog signals used by analog TV...
terrestrial transmission in Greece. Digea has announced that the DVB-T
DVB-T
DVB-T is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Terrestrial; it is the DVB European-based consortium standard for the broadcast transmission of digital terrestrial television that was first published in 1997 and first broadcast in the UK in 1998...
MPEG-4
MPEG-4
MPEG-4 is a method of defining compression of audio and visual digital data. It was introduced in late 1998 and designated a standard for a group of audio and video coding formats and related technology agreed upon by the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group under the formal standard ISO/IEC...
standard is to be used.
At launch, Skai TV opted for dubbing all foreign language content into Greek, instead of using subtitles. This is very uncommon in Greece for anything except documentaries (using voiceover dubbing) and children's programs (using lip-synced dubbing), so after intense criticism the station switched to using subtitles for almost all foreign shows.
Skai TV has been ferociously criticized by Greek progressives and socialists for unabashedly promoting right-wing, conservative and neoliberal politics in its news reporting and political commentary, and for being essentially the mouthpiece of big business
Big Business
Big business is a term used to describe large corporations, in either an individual or collective sense. The term first came into use in a symbolic sense subsequent to the American Civil War, particularly after 1880, in connection with the combination movement that began in American business at...
in Greece. Recently, it has also been soundly criticized by some Greek conservative commentators for its political documentaries; they feel that Skai's documentaries often depict the Greek people as cunning, deceitful and lazy
History
Skai TV was first launched in 1993 with emphasis in news and sports but in 1999 was sold and the new owners gradually re-branded it as Alpha TVAlpha TV
Alpha TV is a Greek terrestrial channel . The station features a mix of Greek and foreign shows with an emphasis on entertainment programs. The studios are located near Athens...
. The new station had an entirely different programming perspective and opted for a more mainstream profile, soon managing to become one of the top three TV stations in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
Original Skai TV was heavily criticized for its "yellow press
Yellow journalism
Yellow journalism or the yellow press is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism...
" news coverage and low-budget programming. In an incident still remembered by Greek viewers and later investigated by a Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
, the station was unanimously slated for its involvement (and live coverage) of a hostage situation that ended with the death of the victim.
In 2006, the company who originally launched Skai TV bought Seven TV, a holder of a Greek National broadcasting licence holder that failed to expand its coverage all over the country or attract a wide audience. The station was renamed to 'Skai TV' allowing the brand to re-emerge on the Greek television scene after 7 years, but this time the owners decided to forego their previous approach and opted for high-quality foreign shows and valid news coverage.
On September 6, 2007, Skai TV was added to the lineup of NOVA Greece
NOVA Greece
NOVA Greece is a Greek digital satellite pay TV platform owned by Multichoice Hellas. It was launched in December 1999.NOVA offers Greek subscribers an array of international and domestic programmes plus the majority of popular Greek terrestrial TV channels along with a number of Greek...
digital platform.
Technology
Skai TV has made a pioneering appearance in international airwaves, being the first non-subscription TV station worldwide to use solely digital technology thus being completely tapeless. It uses the SONAPS network broadcast system made by SonySony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
and instaled by British company VSC Design. The system is considered by the former as a showcase example of the system. Skai also use Omneon
Omneon
Omneon develops and markets video server and computer storage products for companies that produce and distribute audio and video content for television and the Internet. Founded in 1998, the company is reported to have a wide range of clients in the television broadcast sector from around the...
Spectrum servers for Playout together with IBIS automation.
Skai TV is also the first station in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
to broadcast its full programme in 16:9 format
16:9
16:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...
.
Programming
Skai TV airs a diverse programming mix with a focus on entertainment and information. Programming includes comedies dramas, current affairs shows, documentaries and sports. Foreign programmes make up the bulk of Skai TV's schedule but it also produces several original programs. It has programing alliances with popular foreign networks including National Geographic ChannelNational Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
, Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and a large part of its schedule features recent and past-years documentaries. There is also a Greek dubbed BBC World News news bulletin following the station's own news bulletin and a news-themed morning show.
Greek
Current shows include:- Chef ston Aera - Cooking show, featuring dishes made with fresh & local ingredients
- Girismata, Travel magazine that explores the people and places that Greece has to offer; Now in its 2nd year.
- Gol Horis Sinora (Goals without borders) - Analysis and highlights of all the weekend soccer matches from across Europe.
- Kipouremata (Gardenings) - Gardening show, hosted by Andreas Barboutsis
- Kyriaki Me Drasi (Sunday with action) - A look back at the top headlines from the week that past. Hosted by Spiros Mallis. Airs Sundays at 10am.
- Oi Neoi Fakelloi (The New Folders) - Weekly current affairs programme with a focus on investigative reports, exclusive interviews & personality profiles. This award-winning series is now in its 9th season. Hosted by Alexis Papahelas, Tasos Telloglou & Sofia Papaioannou.
- Para Triha (Narrow escape) - A show devoted to pets, the first of its kind on Greek television; Hosted by Klea Morianou & Louiza Krontiri.
- Proti Grammi (First line) - Morning show with the latest headlines, sports news, weather conditions, entertainment and more. Hosted by Vasili Luritzi and Dimitri Oikonomou, airs Monday – Friday at 6am. (The show previously aired on NET)
- Skai Magazino (Skai Magazine), current affairs program, providing in-depth coverage of current issues.
- Skai Tora (Skai Now) - Current affairs program that keep viewers informed of the latest headlines from Greece and around the world. Features live reports from around the country and analysis of issues that affect everyday people, such as economic matters, health concerns and more. Hosted by Popi Tsapanidou, airs daily at 10am.
Foreign
Some of the shows currently being aired:America's Funniest Home Videos
America's Funniest Home Videos
America's Funniest Home Videos is an American reality television program on ABC in which viewers are able to send in humorous homemade videotapes. The most common videos usually feature slapstick physical comedy arising from incidents, accidents and mishaps...
, American Chopper
American Chopper
American Chopper is a reality television series that airs on Discovery Channel, produced by Pilgrim Films & Television. The series centers on Paul Teutul, Sr. and his son Paul Teutul, Jr. , who manufacture custom motorcycles. Orange County Choppers is in Newburgh, New York...
, Brainiac: Science Abuse
Brainiac: Science Abuse
Brainiac: Science Abuse is a British entertainment TV show with a science motif. Numerous experiments are carried out in each show, often to verify whether common conceptions are true or simply to create impressive explosions...
, Californication
Californication (TV series)
Californication is an American comedy-drama that premiered on Showtime on August 13, 2007. The show was created by Tom Kapinos. The protagonist, Hank Moody , is a troubled novelist whose move to California, coupled with his writer's block, complicates his relationships with his longtime girlfriend...
, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
, CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....
, CSI: NY
CSI: NY
CSI: NY is an American police procedural television series that premiered on September 22, 2004, on CBS. The show follows the investigations of a team of NYPD forensic scientists and police officers as they unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths as well as other crimes...
, Deadliest Catch
Deadliest Catch
Deadliest Catch is a documentary/reality television series produced by Original Productions for the Discovery Channel. It portrays the real life events aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and C. opilio crab fishing seasons.The Aleutian Islands port of Dutch Harbor,...
, Dexter
Dexter (TV series)
Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...
, Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, MythBusters
MythBusters
MythBusters is a science entertainment TV program created and produced by Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The series is screened by numerous international broadcasters, including Discovery Channel Australia, Discovery Channel Latin America, Discovery Channel Canada, Quest...
, Queer Eye
Queer Eye
Queer Eye is an American reality television series that premiered on the Bravo cable television network in July 2003. The program's name was changed from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy after the third season to broaden the scope of its content...
, Robin Hood), Sasuke
Sasuke (TV series)
Sasuke is a Japanese sports entertainment television special in which 100 competitors attempt to complete a four stage obstacle course. An edited version, renamed Ninja Warrior, is screened in at least 18 other countries....
, Supernanny
Supernanny
Supernanny is a reality TV programme which originated in the United Kingdom about parents struggling with their children's behaviour. The UK version has aired on Channel 4 with E4 showing repeats since 2004. The program returned in 2010...
, The F Word and The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
.