BBC TV Europe was aBBC subscription-funded television service established in 1987, servingcontinental Europe, initiallyScandinavia.^[1] It was available onsatellite andcable.^[2]

The channel was branded asBBC 1/2 Mix when it launched on 4 June 1987, but was rebrandedBBC TV Europe on 1 April 1989.^[2][3]

Initially, two regional telecommunications companies inDenmark,KTAS (Københavns Telefon A/S) and JTAS (Jydsk Telefon A/S) contacted the BBC with a view to retransmit bothBBC1 and2 on theircable networks in Denmark, offering the BBC payment to cover the costs of the satellite slots. The BBC's commercial division,BBC Enterprises, looked into the proposal but found it would be impossible to securerights for this. This led the BBC to instead create a separate new channel for Denmark, known as BBC 1/2 Mix. This later expanded toNorway in late 1987 andSweden in early 1988.^[4][5][6]

The channel broadcast a mix of the programmes shown onBBC1 andBBC2 in the United Kingdom, as well as the BBC's domesticBBC Six O'Clock News bulletin, together with the regional news service from London. BBC1 programming took priority: when a programme on BBC1 could not be shown on the channel for rights reasons, it was replaced with a programme shown on BBC2.^[2]

The channel made its formal launch inPortugal at the facilities of theBritish Council inLisbon on 20 April 1989.^[7] The channel's schedule averaged seventeen hours a day, from 7am to midnight. Piracy was a recurring issue, as such the BBC had to hire sales agents by country for the sale of authorised BBC TV Europe decoders and subscriptions.^[8]

The channel was managed and operated by the BBC, but jointly marketed by the two Danish telecommunications companies. However, they were not able to make a profit from the channel, and sold their interest in it to the BBC, which renamed itBBC TV Europe and took full control of its operations and commercialisation, making it available to the whole ofWestern andNorthern Europe (excluding the UK), and also making it officially available for individual viewers who wished to receive it directly via satellite by means of subscription. In 1990, a second service for non-UK viewers entitled "Enterprise Channel" was launched to complement the main BBC TV Europe service, but by the end of that year it had been folded back into the existing network.^{[9][10][11][12][13][14]}

The channel also carriedthe English team's matches in the1990 FIFA World Cup.^[15]

On 11 March 1991 the channel was replaced byBBC World Service Television.^[16]

• Defunct BBC television channels
• International BBC television channels
• Television channels and stations established in 1987
• Television channels and stations disestablished in 1991
• 1987 establishments in Europe
• 1991 disestablishments in Europe

• Webarchive template wayback links
• Use dmy dates from October 2015
• Use British English from September 2017
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Articles using infobox television channel