Industry Broadcast CEO Martin Stewart Parent organization KIPCO | Website www.osn.com Founded 12 July 2009 | |
Type Joint venture between
KIPCO and
Mawarid Holding Area served Middle East and North Africa Key people Faisal Al Ayyar (Chairman, Panther Media Group Limited)
Martin Stewart (CEO, OSN) Products Direct-broadcast satellite Headquarters Dubai, United Arab Emirates Profiles | ||
Orbit Showtime Network (OSN, stylized as “osn”) is a direct-broadcast satellite provider serving the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). It offers popular entertainment content such as movies, sporting events and various TV shows from major networks and studios such as Warner Bros., Paramount, HBO, Fox, Disney, Sony, MGM, Universal, ESPN and DreamWorks in addition to local versions specifically for the MENA region. As of 2015 OSN offers 154 television channels and 53 high-definition channels and 3D entertainment. OSN was formed as a result of merger of two of the Mideast's largest TV networks, Orbit and Showtime Arabia in 2009.
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The OSN network is owned and operated by Panther Media Group Limited, a joint venture between KIPCO (60.5%) and Mawarid Holding (39.5%) and is registered in the DIFC. OSN's corporate headquarters and Broadcast Center are based in Dubai Media City in the United Arab Emirates.
OSN introduced several technologies and services in the Middle East market. In 2012 the OSN DVR HD was launched. OSN Play, an online TV platform; Plus HD, a 3D, HD, internet-enabled satellite receiver and recorder and OSN on Demand, the region's first VOD service were all launched in the same year.
In August 2013, OSN acquired Pehla Media & Entertainment, offering around forty channels in a variety of South Asian languages in the MENA region, with content such as Bollywood movies and cricket, including the ICC Cricket World Cup.
Arab advisors annual media and telecom convergence conference bbc osn
Overview
Orbit Showtime Network (OSN) is a partnership between the Orbit Communications Company – a member of Riyadh-based Mawarid Holdings, and Showtime Arabia – a subsidiary of Kipco, the leading pay-TV operator in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Showtime Arabia, was launched in 1996 as a joint venture between KIPCO (79%) and CBS Corporation (21%) and six years after its launch became the number one satellite television platform in MENA. Showtime Arabia continued its growth in the region by adding a range of new channels and new services such as the “Showbox DVR’ System in 2005 which allowed subscribers to record different programs. In 2008, Showtime Arabia also introduced a video on-demand service, broadcasting full seasons of premier U.S. series and top Hollywood movies.
Channels
OSN provides 150 channels including 65 HD channels and two on-demand channels.
In late December 2015, Turner Broadcasting System Europe announced that it would move its pay TV channels from OSN to the rival beIN in January 2016; these include TCM, Cartoon Network, and Boomerang. However, due to their direct relations with Turner, Emirati telecoms Etisalat and du continue to offer these channels to their subscribers, along with numerous other IPTV providers in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf.