1962 Jul 11

First transatlantic tv relay

Received in England and France. More >>

Telstar I

1962 Jul 12

1st test broadcast UK > USA

Telstar I

1962 Jul 16

First colour relay across Atlantic

More >>

Telstar I

1962 Jul 23

1st major US>Europe satellite programme

Included Presidential press conference by Kennedy

Telstar I

1962 Jul 23

First major Europe > US programme

Contributions from 9 European countries, including UK. End of broadcast was lost

Telstar I

1963 Nov 23

Day after assassination of Kennedy

Reports from Dallas to UK; reaction in London was relayed  to US. More >>

Telstar II

1963 Nov 25

President Kennedy’s funeral

About 30 min of live TV coverage was possible in UK

Telstar II

1963 Nov 27

President Johnson’s first address to American Congress

Carried live on BBC and ITV for c. 30 mins

Telstar II

1964 Feb 25

Boxing: Clay v Liston from Miami Beach

Seen live in middle of night by 7m UK viewers. Possibly the 1st major satellite sports relay

1964 April 16

First live TV Japan to UK

1964 Oct 10

Opening of Olympic Games, Tokyo

Shown live in colour in US, where b/w material for UK was recorded and then flown across Atlantic

Syncom III

1964 Nov

American Presidential Election

Short reports available in Britain each day

Telstar II

1965 Jan 20

Inauguration of President Johnson, Washington DC

1965 Jan 30

State Funeral of Sir Winston Churchill, London and then Oxfordshire

At the time, the largest ever OB for both BBC and ITV

1966 Apr 1

BBC1 British General Election results

Seen live, in colour, in USA

Early Bird

1966 July

Football World Cup, England

Seen in S. America and Mexico

1966 Nov 25

First live broadcast Australia > UK

Satellite failed shortly afterwards. More >>

Lani Bird

1967 June 25

Our World

Very costly 2-hour global link-up, but excluding Eastern Bloc. Co-ordinated by BBC in London. UK contributions from London and Cumbernauld; reporters Steve Race and Magnus Magnusson

ATS, Early Bird, and others

1967 July

Open golf from Hoylake, Lancashire

Shown live in America.
1967 US Open and US Masters seen in UK

Early Bird

1967 Aug 24-26

Expo 67, Montreal

British Day shown in BBC1’s Tonight   programme

Early Bird

1967 Sep 10

Golf from Ohio, USA

First live NTSC>PAL electronic conversion seen in UK

Early Bird

1968 May 18

FA Cup Final, London. WBA v Everton

CBC, Canada, took live BBC colour coverage

1968 Oct 12-27

Mexico City Olympic Games
(Some coverage in b/w)

Over 100 hours of coverage. First public NTSC>PAL advanced standards conversion. Featured Beamon’s famous jump. Regular breakfast programmes in UK

Nasa ATS3

1968 Nov 5-6

American Presidential Election

BBC relayed much NBC coverage. Included night time and early morning programmes

1968 Dec 21-27

Apollo 8. First flight round the moon

Coverage of launch etc. from Florida. 1st live pictures of earth from space. Huge audience for splashdown in Pacific

1969 Feb 24-26

President Nixon in Britain

Shown extensively in US. Included 1st live pictures from inside Buckingham Palace

1969 Mar

Apollo 9, Earth orbit

1st spacewalk to be shown live in Britain

1969 May

Arrival of QE2 liner in New York after maiden voyage

Shown live in Britain

1969 Jul 1

Prince of Wales’ Investiture, Caernarfon

Relayed live to N. America and Japan via 625>525 electronic converter

1969 Jul 16-24

Apollo 11. First moon landing. (Colour pictures of launch, splashdown, mothercraft)

UK received pictures via Pacific and Indian Ocean satellites following failure of Atlantic satellite. More >>

Intelsat

1970 Mar 7

Total solar eclipse from Mexico

First live satellite broadcast of a solar eclipse. BBC relayed American coverage, plus studio inserts from London

1970 Apr 17

Apollo 13

Recovery of ill-fated astronauts from Pacific Ocean seen by more than 30m UK viewers

1970 Jun

World Cup Football, Mexico

NTSC-derived. Appears to have been optically converted in UK

1972 Feb

Winter Olympic Games

From Japan

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