HBO

One day, I will sit down with my grandchildren and tell them a fairy tale: once upon a time, before the days of DirectTV and satellite dishes, there was only one premium television channel, and its name was HBO.

By now it feels as if HBO (short for Home Box Office) has been around forever, but the channel wasn't actually founded until 1972 by Charles Dolan, who shortly thereafter sold his interest to Time-Life Inc. (later Time Warner). From the start, it took advantage of its commercial-free status to air feature films and sports programming without interruption, scoring a coup when it broadcast the 1975 Ali-Frazier "Thrilla in Manila" fight via satellite. HBO also took advantage of its freedom from another broadcast limitation, censorship, to run unexpurgated versions of comedy specials (such as 1977's On Location: George Carlin at USC).

Although HBO still relies in part on sports broadcasts and movies from fellow Time Warner companies, it has made its mark with original programming that features frank depictions of sex, violence, and other things often toned down by broadcast television. Shows such as The Sopranos, Sex and the City and Six Feet Under have won both critical kudos and avid audiences, particularly in worldwide syndication. In addition, HBO's original movies, among them Angels in America and Band of Brothers, routinely win praise for their high-quality production values. HBO is no longer the only player in the pay channel market, but thanks to its programming, it remains a major one.

Selected hits

-- A. Wu