Orbit Showtime
Encyclopedia
Orbit Showtime Network, now officially branded as OSN, is a subscription television
service in the Middle East
and North Africa
. The platform is owned by Panther Media Group, and the company is registered in DIFC. OSN is a joint venture between the Kuwait-based KIPCO
and Saudi Arabia-based Mawarid Holding
via Orbit Group. The company was founded through a merger between Orbit Communications Company and Showtime Arabia
. The operational and corporate headquarters of the company is located in Dubai Media City
in Dubai
, United Arab Emirates
. OSN broadcasts channels in Arabic
, English
, and Filipino
languages.
is the operating company behind the digital pay TV broadcaster, OSN. Its broadcast facilities are based at Dubai Media City
in the United Arab Emirates
and its uplink
teleport station is du Samacom. OSN uses Irdeto Access Conditional Access technology, to encrypt its DTH channels over satellite and the OpenTV
interactive platform on its set-top box
es.
. These receivers were mainly referred to as DreamBoxes, however many other variants of the same concept were available. As of 19/12/2010, OSN has successfully managed to end all illegal viewing of its service. This has been accomplished by the use of smart card decoders specific to the receiver itself. Households throughout the Middle East
suddenly ceased to view OSN channels through their pirated receivers and the incident has somewhat caused a public outcry.
In Egypt, the merger between Orbit & Showtime never happened during July 2009 due to unexplained reasons from Cable Network Egypt (CNE) which is the distributor of Showtime in Egypt & OSN. As a consequence, on December 19, 2010, all existing Showtime legal subscribers lost all their channels, and all Orbit legal subscribers had their package demoted to the Arabic channels package (Alfa). Afterwards, Showtime legal subscribers were temporarily being able to watch Orbit's (Alfa) package as a way of compensation for a lowered price. Showtime & Orbit subscribers had the option of either suspending their accounts until the merger happens, or continue watching these temporary packages.
Anyone attempted to access the official OSN website from an IP address
in Egypt
was presented with a special webpage containing a message for Egyptian Orbit Showtime subscribers, indicating to customers that their service will encounter disruption, but that OSN is working to resolve matters to launch OSN in Egypt.
The new packages finally became available in Egypt at the end of March 2011. Showtime & Orbit legal subscribers were able to swap for free their old Orbit decoders and old Showtime cards with either a new Humax HD receiver or a new Opentel SD receiver depending on the subscribed package. These receiver are using Irdeto
3 instead of Betacrypt which is being used in the OSN receivers outside Egypt.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
service in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. The platform is owned by Panther Media Group, and the company is registered in DIFC. OSN is a joint venture between the Kuwait-based KIPCO
KIPCO
Kuwait Projects Company , popularly known as KIPCO, is one of the premier investment holding companies in the Middle East and North Africa region. KIPCO has substantial ownership interests in a diversified portfolio of companies in Europe, the Middle East, and the USA...
and Saudi Arabia-based Mawarid Holding
Mawarid Holding
Mawarid Holding is a private Saudi investment company . It manages and controls several investments which have diversified businesses in financial services, telecommunications, satellite television and radio network, construction, general distribution and trading, catering and restaurants.-Major...
via Orbit Group. The company was founded through a merger between Orbit Communications Company and Showtime Arabia
Showtime Arabia
Showtime Arabia, as it was called to distinguish itself from its U.S. counterpart , was a subscription television service in the Middle East and North Africa. It was a joint venture between KIPCO and CBS Corporation , CBS Corp being a minor partner...
. The operational and corporate headquarters of the company is located in Dubai Media City
Dubai Media City
Dubai Media City , part of Dubai Holding, is a tax-free zone within Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It has been built by the Dubai government to boost UAE's media foothold, and has become a regional hub for media organizations including news agencies, publishing, online media, advertising, production,...
in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
. OSN broadcasts channels in Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and Filipino
Filipino language
This move has drawn much criticism from other regional groups.In 1987, a new constitution introduced many provisions for the language.Article XIV, Section 6, omits any mention of Tagalog as the basis for Filipino, and states that:...
languages.
Technical
Gulf DTH F.Z. L.L.C.Gulf DTH
Gulf DTH F.Z. L.L.C., is the operating company behind Persian Gulf digital pay TV broadcaster Showtime Arabia, based at Dubai Media City, United Arab Emirates in the Middle East.- Incorporations :...
is the operating company behind the digital pay TV broadcaster, OSN. Its broadcast facilities are based at Dubai Media City
Dubai Media City
Dubai Media City , part of Dubai Holding, is a tax-free zone within Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It has been built by the Dubai government to boost UAE's media foothold, and has become a regional hub for media organizations including news agencies, publishing, online media, advertising, production,...
in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
and its uplink
Uplink
A telecommunications link is generally one of several types of information transmission paths such as those provided by communication satellites to connect two points on earth.-Uplink:...
teleport station is du Samacom. OSN uses Irdeto Access Conditional Access technology, to encrypt its DTH channels over satellite and the OpenTV
OpenTV
OpenTV is an interactive television company founded in 1994. Its main business involves the sale of set-top-box operating systems and software. On March 28, 2010 OpenTV became a fully owned subsidiary of the NAGRA Kudelski Group and officially delisted from the NASDAQ, where it was previously...
interactive platform on its set-top box
Set-top box
A set-top box or set-top unit is an information appliance device that generally contains a tuner and connects to a television set and an external source of signal, turning the signal into content which is then displayed on the television screen or other display device.-History:Before the...
es.
- 2-level parental control (Channel & Rating).
- 7-day bilingual electronic program guide.
- 7 radio channels of music & news & entertainment.
- Arabic subtitles & multi-lingual audio on selected channels.
Illegal viewing
Throughout the last couple of years, OSN has suffered from wide spread illegal decoding of its services. Hundreds of thousands of viewers throughout the Arab world used receivers which acquired decoding signals from a remote server over the internet to watch OSN channels. This has, in some countries, grown into a multi-million dollar business for pirates operating what is often referred to as sharing serversShared web hosting service
A shared web hosting service or virtual hosting service or derive host refers to a web hosting service where many websites reside on one web server connected to the Internet. Each site "sits" on its own partition, or section/place on the server, to keep it separate from other sites...
. These receivers were mainly referred to as DreamBoxes, however many other variants of the same concept were available. As of 19/12/2010, OSN has successfully managed to end all illegal viewing of its service. This has been accomplished by the use of smart card decoders specific to the receiver itself. Households throughout the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
suddenly ceased to view OSN channels through their pirated receivers and the incident has somewhat caused a public outcry.
In Egypt, the merger between Orbit & Showtime never happened during July 2009 due to unexplained reasons from Cable Network Egypt (CNE) which is the distributor of Showtime in Egypt & OSN. As a consequence, on December 19, 2010, all existing Showtime legal subscribers lost all their channels, and all Orbit legal subscribers had their package demoted to the Arabic channels package (Alfa). Afterwards, Showtime legal subscribers were temporarily being able to watch Orbit's (Alfa) package as a way of compensation for a lowered price. Showtime & Orbit subscribers had the option of either suspending their accounts until the merger happens, or continue watching these temporary packages.
Anyone attempted to access the official OSN website from an IP address
IP address
An Internet Protocol address is a numerical label assigned to each device participating in a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication. An IP address serves two principal functions: host or network interface identification and location addressing...
in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
was presented with a special webpage containing a message for Egyptian Orbit Showtime subscribers, indicating to customers that their service will encounter disruption, but that OSN is working to resolve matters to launch OSN in Egypt.
The new packages finally became available in Egypt at the end of March 2011. Showtime & Orbit legal subscribers were able to swap for free their old Orbit decoders and old Showtime cards with either a new Humax HD receiver or a new Opentel SD receiver depending on the subscribed package. These receiver are using Irdeto
Irdeto
Irdeto B.V. is a global software security and media technology company with dual headquarters in Hoofddorp, Netherlands and Beijing, China. It is a subsidiary of multinational media group Naspers...
3 instead of Betacrypt which is being used in the OSN receivers outside Egypt.
OSN Channel Lineup
- Promotional:
- Subscribe to OSN
- Movies:
- MGM ChannelMGM (TV channel)MGM Channel is a 24-hour global-based network that was launched in 1999 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios that airs movies from MGM's celebrated 4,000-title library - the largest modern film library in the world, including West Side Story, Midnight Cowboy, The Pope of Greenwich Village, The Manchurian...
- OSN Cinema
- OSN Cinema +2
- OSN Movies HD
- OSN Movies HD +2
- OSN Movies Action HD
- OSN Movies Action
- OSN Movies Comedy
- OSN Movies Festival
- OSN Movies Kids
- OSN Premiere
- OSN Premiere +2
- STAR Movies HDSTAR MoviesSTAR Movies is an Asian movie channel owned by STAR TV and Fox International Channels, subsidiaries of News Corporation.-History:STAR Movies was launched on 1 May 1994...
- TCM
- MGM Channel
- Series:
- BBC EntertainmentBBC EntertainmentBBC Entertainment is an international television channel showcasing comedy, drama, light entertainment and children's programming from the BBC and other UK production houses...
- ITV Granada
- OSN Comedy
- OSN Comedy +2
- OSN First HD
- OSN First
- OSN First +2
- STAR World HDSTAR WorldSTAR World is an Asian English language cable and satellite television network owned by Star TV and Fox International Channels, fully owned subsidiaries of News Corporation. The channel is the successor of STAR Plus, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
- BBC Entertainment
- Lifestyle:
- BBC LifestyleBBC LifestyleBBC Lifestyle is an international television channel. The channel provides six key programming strands: Food, Home & Design, Fashion & Style, Health, Parenting, and Personal Development.-Launch dates:...
- E!E!E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
- Fashion TV HDFashion TVFashion TV is an international fashion and lifestyle broadcasting television channel. It was founded in France in 1997 by its Polish-born president Michel Adam Lisowski, Fashion TV is the only 24/7 international TV network exclusively dedicated to fashion, beauty, glamour and style and has become...
- Food NetworkFood NetworkFood Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
- Food Network HD
- Style NetworkStyle NetworkThe Style Network is an American cable television network based in Los Angeles.Owned by NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of General Electric and Comcast, its sister channels include E! Entertainment Television, USA Network, Syfy, G4, Golf Channel, and Versus, among others.-Network Overview:Style's...
- BBC Lifestyle
- Music:
- Music Now
- MTV MusicMTV Music (UK & Ireland)MTV Music is a non stop music entertainment channel operated by MTV Networks International .MTV Networks International announced the introduction of a non-stop music channel. As the main MTV brand has deviated from its original purpose and increased competition from other music channels and online...
- Trace UrbanTrace TVTrace Urban is a French music video television network devoted to play urban contemporary music videos, founded by the French businessmen Olivier Laouchez and Claude Grunitzky....
- VH1 EuropeVH1 EuropeVH1 Europe, also known as VH1 European, is a music television channel from MTV Networks Europe, based on the American Channel of the same name. This version of VH1 is very different from its American counterpart, since it has never ceased to be a proper music channel, playing a wide variety of...
- Kids:
- BoomerangBoomerang CEE+EMEABoomerang Europe is a television channel featuring classic cartoons, notably, from the Hanna-Barbera & Warner Bros. Animation library, and selected cartoons from the Cartoon Network Studios library. The channel is available in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Boomerang Europe is available 100%...
- Cartoon NetworkCartoon Network (EMEA)Cartoon Network Europe, Middle East and Africa is available mainly in English Language but there are more. Cartoon Network EMEA is received in Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Botswana, Kosovo, Lesotho, Macedonia, Malawi, the Middle East, Montenegro, Mozambique, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia,...
- Disney ChannelDisney Channel Middle EastDisney Channel Middle East is an edition of the The Walt Disney Company-owned Disney Channel broadcasting to the Middle East, North Africa as well as Pakistan and Maldives with exceptions of Iraq, Libya, and Syria...
- Disney Junior
- Disney XD
- JimJamJimJamJimJam is a television children channel which was launched in 2006 in Italy on SKY Italia. In September 2007 was acquired as part of a joint venture partnership between Chellomedia and HIT Entertainment....
- KidsCoKidsCoKidsCo is an international children's entertainment brand founded by Canadian broadcaster Corus Entertainment's Nelvana Enterprises, American-based producer DIC Entertainment, and European broadcaster Sparrowhawk Media Group in April 2007. By the end of 2007, Sparrowhawk was purchased by media...
- Boomerang
- Factual:
- Animal PlanetAnimal Planet EuropeAnimal Planet Europe is a version of Animal Planet. It broadcasts to several countries in Eastern and Central Europe.Many regions in Europe that previously received the Pan-European version of the channel, now receive a specific version for their regions, such as:*Animal Planet Nordic for the...
- Discovery Channel
- Discovery ScienceDiscovery Science Europe/MEDiscovery Science Europe/ME is a television channel targeting the European countries and the Arab World, focusing on programmes relating science and technology. It is broadcast from Discovery Networks Europe in the United Kingdom using a broadcasting license from Ofcom.It is available from numerous...
- Discovery HD ShowcaseDiscovery HDDiscovery HD is the international name of the high-definition television channels from Discovery Communications.The international Discovery HD first launched in Korea on February 2005 as a programming block...
- Crime & Investigation Network
- History
- Investigation DiscoveryInvestigation Discovery EuropeInvestigation Discovery is a cable television channel available in several European nations. It competes in the same genre as Crime & Investigation Network which is also available in some European nations such as the UK and Turkey...
- Motorvision HD
- National Geographic Channel HDNational Geographic Channel (UK)The National Geographic Channel is a television channel that features documentaries produced by the National Geographic Society. It features some programming similar to that on the Discovery Channel such as nature and science documentaries. The channel was launched in Europe in September 1997 and...
- Nat Geo Adventure
- Nat Geo Adventure HD
- Nat Geo WILD
- Nat Geo WILD HD
- Outdoor Channel
- Travel ChannelTravel Channel (UK)Travel Channel is a British satellite television channel, transmitting 24 hours a day in 19 languages across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific...
- Animal Planet
- News:
- BBC World News
- Bloomberg TelevisionBloomberg TelevisionBloomberg Television is a 24-hour global network broadcasting business and financial news. It is distributed globally, reaching over 200 million homes worldwide. It is owned and operated by Bloomberg L.P...
- CNBCCNBC EuropeCNBC Europe is a business and financial news television channel, the pan-European sister station of CNBC. The network is owned and operated by NBC Universal and headquartered in London, where it shares the Adrian Smith-designed 10 Fleet Place building with Dow Jones...
- CNN InternationalCNN InternationalCNN International is an international English language television network that carries news, current affairs, politics, opinions, and business programming worldwide. CNN is one of the world's largest news organizations. It is owned by Time Warner, and is affiliated with CNN, which is mainly...
- Fox News
- France 24France 24France 24 is an international news and current affairs television channel. The service is aimed at the overseas market, similar to BBC World News, DW-TV, NHK World and RT, and broadcast through satellite and cable operators throughout the world. During 2010 the channel started broadcasting through...
- OSN News
- Sky News International
- Sky News HD
- Sports:
- Extreme Sports ChannelExtreme Sports ChannelThe Extreme Sports Channel is a Netherlands-based extreme sports television channel available across Europe and the Middle East. Al Gosling had the idea for the channel in 1998.-History:...
- Fox Sports
- Fox Sports HD
- OSN Sports 1 HD
- OSN Sports 2
- OSN Sports 3
- OSN Sports 4
- Extreme Sports Channel
- Arabic Channels:
- Al Safwa
- Al Yawm
- Fann
- Arabic Series Channel
- Arabic Series Channel +4
- OSN Yahala! HD
- Cinema 1
- Cinema 2
- MBC+ DramaMBC+ DramaMBC+ Drama is joint venture between OSN - Orbit Showtime Network and MBC Group. It is a relatively new, 24-hour Arabic channel that offers a range of Arabic drama and Turkish series "First on TV" to Orbit Showtime subscribers starting February 1, 2009....
- ART Aflam 1
- ART Aflam 2
- ART Cinema
- ART Hekayat 1
- ART Hekayat 2
- Pay Per View:
- OSN Box Office 1
- OSN Box Office 2
- OSN Box Office 3
- Filipino Pinoy:
- GMA Pinoy TVGMA Pinoy TVGMA Pinoy TV, incorporated in February 2004 by GMA Network and its subsidiaries GMA International & GMA Worldwide and launched in 2005 primarily in Japan and USA, is a 24-hour international Filipino television station. The channel is targeted towards Overseas Filipino and their families in the...
- GMA Life TVGMA Life TVGMA Life TV, incorporated in February 2008 by GMA Network, is an international Filipino television station, and the company's secondary international channel to GMA Pinoy TV.-Background:...
- Pinoy ExtremePinoy ExtremePinoy Extreme is a 24-hour Filipino cable entertainment channel. A joint venture between Prime Channel Philippines and Viva Entertainment. This channel airs of teleseries, movies, sports and horse racing program which only air every other week...
- MnL TV
- Kapatid TV5Associated Broadcasting CompanyThe Associated Broadcasting Company, Inc is a television network in the Philippines, with main broadcast facilities and transmitter located at 762 Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City. The network was previously known as the , Associated Broadcasting Company remains the legal...
- AksyonTV InternationalAksyonTVAksyonTV is a 24-hour non-stop news and sports-related channel in the Philippines. Owned and operated by Associated Broadcasting Company, it occupies the frequency previously used by MTV Philippines, a subsidiary of Nation Broadcasting Corporation...
- GMA Pinoy TV
- On Demand:
- OSN On Demand HD
- High-Definition:
- OSN Movies HD
- OSN Movies HD +2
- OSN Movies Action HD
- OSN On Demand HD
- OSN First HD
- OSN Sports 1 HD
- Star Movies HD
- Star World HD
- Motorvision HD
- National Geographic Channel HDNational Geographic Channel (UK)The National Geographic Channel is a television channel that features documentaries produced by the National Geographic Society. It features some programming similar to that on the Discovery Channel such as nature and science documentaries. The channel was launched in Europe in September 1997 and...
- Nat Geo Adventure HD
- Nat Geo Wild HD
- Discovery HD Showcase
- Fashion TV HD
- Food Network HD
- FOX Sports HD
- Sky News HD
- Outdoor Channel HD
- OSN Yahala! HD
External links
- Official website
- OSN on facebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...