First international television link between France and the UK

The Coronation of Elizabeth II was the first event to be broadcast live internationally. People crowded in front of the few available television sets to see the magic happen.

The Eurovision television network launches the first official transmission from the Narcissus Festival in Montreux.

The first Eurovision Song Contest takes pace in Lugano on 10 May and is relayed live by 10 countries.

The News Exchange launches with live images from the Vatican on the death of Pope Pius XII.

The EBU buys the rights to the Rome Olympic Games for USD 1.2 million, the first of many collective rights agreements.

The first transmissions between North America and Europe are made using the Telstar satellite.

Jeux Sans Frontières – It’s a Knockout' launches as a Europe-wide television game show.

The Music Exchange launches its first concert season, starting with the English Chamber Orchestra at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.

With technical support from the EBU, our Members transmitted the Apollo 11 moon landing.

EBU Members encourage the adoption of Teletext, following the BBC’s launch of Ceefax (the world’s first teletext information service) in 1974.

The EBU receives an international Emmy Award for the design of a world standard for digital television accepted by the ITU.

The International Radio & Television Organization (OIRT), a sister organization of broadcasters from central and eastern Europe, merges with the EBU.

The Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) project helps set digital broadcasting standards for much of the world over the next two decades.

The EBU is central to agreement on a common worldwide standard for digital radio at the ITU.

Working with the ITU, the EBU helps achieve a worldwide standard for high definition television.

The first Junior Eurovision Song Contest is broadcast live from Copenhagen.

EBU sparks a Loudness Revolution initiating an international agreement to address disparate levels of volume between programming, trailers and advertising.

The EBU drives the technical standard for ultra-high definition television with the ITU. The standard enables NHK and the BBC to film parts of the London Olympic Games – the EBU’s biggest ever operation – in UHDTV.

The EBU works with Belgium Member VRT to create the world’s first live production studio using solely IP technology.

Inaugural European Championships – a new multisport event supported by the EBU and its Members.

Eurovision Services becomes an official subsidiary of the EBU.