The channel started broadcasting on 10 September 1995 as Televisió de Catalunya Satéllit, with a 36-hour broadcast on the Hot Bird I satellite in Europe and north Africa, and on the Galaxy IV and Intelsat K satellites for most of the Americas, coinciding with
Catalonia's National Day. This initial broadcast was seen as illegal by the
Ministry of Public Administration, Transports and the Environment as illegal, not just because of its experimental character, but also because, in order for the autonomous channels of Spain to broadcast nationwide, there would be a reworking of the existing media law. The goal was to deliver Catalan programming for the diaspora of 400,000 Catalans living abroad; the same transponder also included a subcarrier with
Catalunya Ràdio. The total cost was of 10 million pesetas, with four sponsors, with which TVC expected to receive 25 million pesetas from the experiment. TVC's goal was to commence regular satellite broadcasts in mid-1996. On 21 July 2003, coinciding with the
Vía Digital-CSD merger, TVC shut down the Hispasat feed (TVC Sat) and merged it into the Astra feed (TVCi), making it available on both satellites, on cable networks and on the TVC DTT multiplex. On 1 May 2012, TV3CAT ceased satellite transmissions to Europe and the Americas, while strengthening its online presence. ==References==