History of sports channels On May 17, 1939, the first sports channel had appeared. It was a Columbia-Princeton baseball game at Baker Field, and it was carried by the National Broadcasting Company to the 400 or so sets then capable of receiving its broadcast signal. On 20 April 1991, the sports channel was renamed sky sports, which the original was first launched on 27 th of March the previous year. The sports channel had aired rugby, golf and German and Italian league football which then had to have the rights acquired back to them when they had launched sky sports. However, it was from following the formation of the premier league for the 1992 & the 1993 football season, this was believed to have been assisted by the promise of a higher television payment that Sky Sports became well known towards the public. By bidding £304 million, BSkyB had beaten the BBC and ITV to acquire the live and exclusive Premier League football broadcasting...