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Showtime Arabia was Showtime Networks' pay television service in the Middle East and North Africa. It was a joint venture between Kuwaiti holding company KIPCO (79% stake) and American media firm Viacom Inc. (21% stake).[1][2][3] The company was incorporated in the Cayman Islands and had its headquarters at Dubai Media City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[4]

Showtime Arabia was one of three pay TV networks in the Middle East and North Africa,[5] it offered motion pictures, sporting events and original content, some of which was localized. It had the exclusive rights to broadcast the Barclays Premier League in the Middle East and North Africa. On 12 July 2009 the company announced a merger with competitor Orbit Communications Company to form Orbit Showtime Network (OSN).

Technical[edit]

When SHOWTIME launched, it some of its channels were TMC, MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, TV Land, Paramount, Style, Discovery and Hallmark. Gulf DTH F.Z. L.L.C. was the operating company behind the digital pay TV broadcaster, Showtime Arabia. Its broadcast facilities were based at Dubai Media City in the United Arab Emirates and its uplink teleport station is Samacom, the monopoly uplink provider in the UAE. Showtime Arabia used Irdeto Access Conditional Access technology, to encrypt its DTH channels over satellite and the OpenTV interactive platform that runs on primarily UEC Multi-Media[6] set-top boxes.

Showtime Arabia Channel lineup[edit]

* 43 channels** + 1 promotional channel
** 12 general entertainment channels, seven movie channels, five sports channels, five documentary channels, five kids channels, four pay-per-view channels, three music channels, and three news channels

Orbit Communications Company merger[edit]

On 12 July 2009 Showtime Arabia and Orbit Communications Company announced a merger[8] that created the “biggest Pay-TV platform” in the Middle East and North Africa.

The newly formed company is an equal partnership that would offer 70 exclusive channels featuring new movies, sports, series, Arabic content and international shows.

New customers can subscribe to packages featuring Showtime Arabia's and Orbit Communications Company's programs, while existing subscribers will be able to either retain or upgrade their content. The company will offer HD channels, video on demand and other interactive services.

Logos[edit]

  • Showtime Arabia's current logo, in use since 1 April 2007 relaunch

See also[edit]

  • Showtime around the world
  • Orbit Communications Company
  • Orbit Showtime Network (OSN)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Benjamin Birkinbine, Rodrigo Gomez, Janet Wasko (2017). Global Media Giants. New York: Routledge. p. 282.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "About Showtime". Archived from the original on 19 April 2008. Retrieved 30 March 2008. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  3. ^ "Company Profile (Showtime)". Retrieved 30 March 2008. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  4. ^ Showtime Arabia Channel Line-up with channel number!
  5. ^ K.S. Ramkumar. "Showtime Arabia Introduces New Attractive Platform". Arab News. Retrieved 30 March 2008. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  6. ^ UEC
  7. ^ "Showtime Packages". Archived from the original on 7 July 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2008. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  8. ^ Chiba Yushi (February 2012). "A Comparative Study on the Pan-Arab Media Strategies: The Cases of Egypt and Saudi Arabia" (PDF). 5 (1&2). Retrieved 13 February 2014. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)

External links[edit]

  • Orbit Showtime Network's homepage
  • Packages of Orbit Showtime Network
  • Viacom's homepage
  • Dubai Media City
  • NileSat Satellite