On this day, at three o’clock in the afternoon, the world’s first regular television service with a high level of image resolution was launched from a converted wing of the Alexandra Palace in London under the name BBC Television Service. A German service had begun the year before but did not offer what the BBC established as ‘high-definition’. The service was renamed BBC TV in 1960 and it used this name until the launch of the second BBC channel, BBC2, in 1964. The main channel then became known as BBC1 before adopting the current spelling of BBC One in 1997. The channel is funded by an annual television licence fee and shows uninterrupted programming without commercial advertising. It is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, including BBC News television bulletins, primetime drama and entertainment, and live BBC Sport events.
