Industry Telecommunication Ceased operations 2009 | Defunct 2009 Founded 1996 | |
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Former type Joint venture betweenKIPCO (79% stake) andCBS Corporation (21% stake) Key people Faisal Al Ayar (Chairman)Marc Antoine d’Halluin (CEO) Products Direct broadcast satellite | ||
Showtime arabia
Showtime Arabia, as it was called to distinguish itself from its U.S. counterpart (Showtime), was a subscription television service in the Middle East and North Africa. It was a joint venture between KIPCO (79% stake) and CBS Corporation (21% stake), CBS Corp being a minor partner. The company was incorporated in the Cayman Islands and had its headquarters at Dubai Media City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Contents
Showtime Arabia was one of the pay TV networks in the Middle East and North Africa. 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 Orbit Communications Company into Orbit Showtime.
Technical
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 set-top boxes.
Showtime Arabia Channel lineup
* 43 Channels** + 1 Promotional Channel** 12 General Entertainment Channels – 7 Movie Channels – 5 Sports Channels – 5 Documentary Channels – 5 Kids Channels – 4 Pay-Per-View Channels – 3 Music Channels – 3 News ChannelsOrbit Communications Company merger
On 12 July 2009 Showtime Arabia and Orbit Communications Company announced a merger 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.