Showtime
Encyclopedia
Showtime is an American premium
cable television
service featuring programming that consists primarily of theatrically released motion pictures, along with original series, made-for-cable movies, and occasional boxing and mixed martial arts
matches. The channel is owned by Showtime Networks, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation
.
As of April 2011, Showtime's programming reaches 20 million subscribers in the United States. The Showtime brand
is used by a number of channels and platforms around the world, but primarily refers to the group of channels in the United States.
, went on the air on July 1, 1976, first shown on a local cable system in Dublin, California
. Its first program was Celebration, a concert special featuring Rod Stewart
, Pink Floyd
and ABBA
.
On March 7, 1978, Showtime expanded to the national market via satellite, competing with HBO and other pay cable networks.
In 1979, Viacom sold 50% of Showtime to TelePrompTer
. In 1982, Westinghouse, who had acquired TelePrompTer the previous year, sold its share of Showtime back to Viacom. In 1983, Viacom and Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment
merged Showtime and The Movie Channel
to form Showtime/The Movie Channel, Inc. (later Showtime Networks, Inc.). 1984 saw the premiere of Showtime's first original movie, The Ratings Game
, both starring, and directed by, Danny DeVito. In 1985, Viacom acquired Warner's share of Showtime/TMC, making them the sole owner of Showtime once again.
In 1990, Showtime ventured into acquiring and premiering independent films directly for the channel, originally as part of its 30-Minute Movie anthology series of short films. One of its first premieres, 12:01 PM
, was nominated for an Academy Award. In the years that followed, Showtime expanded its acquisitions into the realm of feature-length fare, including the 1997 remake of Lolita
, directed by Adrian Lyne
.
In the early 2000s, Showtime launched several additional multiplex channels including Showtime Too (a pun on its current name, Showtime 2), Showcase (formerly Showtime 3), Showtime Beyond and Showtime Extreme. Showtime had also launched several channels exclusively for digital cable: Showtime Family Zone, Showtime Next, and Showtime Women.
Showtime Networks also owns the channels The Movie Channel
, The Movie Channel Xtra
and Flix
. Each multiplex channel offers movies and programs fitting each channel's particular theme. Premieres of popular movies are usually made on the primary channel.
In 2000, Showtime launched the "Showtime Interactive 24.7" channel—providing DVD-like interaction opportunities to its entertainment offerings. In the 2000s, Showtime began test marketing a subscription-video-on-demand SVOD
system; the subscription-video-on-demand channel called Showtime On Demand, which users are able to see episodes of Showtime original series, movies, adult programming and boxing, was launched officially in 2002. Showtime also became one of the first cable TV network
s to broadcast an HDTV
version of its channel, along with Dolby Digital
5.1 surround sound.
In 2005, Viacom
and CBS
announced its intention to split up only six years after Viacom bought the network and its television assets. The original Viacom was renamed CBS Corporation
and got the broadcasting elements, Paramount Television's production operations (renamed CBS Paramount Television
, now two separate arms, CBS Television Studios for production and CBS Television Distribution
for syndicated program distribution), Viacom Outdoor advertising (renamed CBS Outdoor
), Showtime Networks, Simon & Schuster
and Paramount Parks
, which the company later sold, while the new Viacom kept Paramount Pictures
, MTV Networks
, BET Networks
, and (until it was sold off in 2007), Famous Music
. National Amusements
retains ownership of both companies to this day.
In May 2010, it was reported that Showtime plans to launch a service to stream episodes of original series to subscribers.
channels and a video on demand
service (Showtime On Demand): Showtime also packages the Eastern
and Pacific
feeds of the main channel and its multiplex services together, giving viewers a second chance to watch the same movie/program three hours earlier or later — depending on their geographic location. However, certain cable systems only offer the main channel in this manner.
Note: the abbreviation in parenthesis is used as an on-screen identifier and in programming guides
high definition simulcast feeds of all of its channels except Showtime Family Zone, which are carried by most of the major American television providers.
counterpart to Showtime and is available to subscribers of Showtime on most providers.
's Xfinity TV service who are subscribers to Showtime. Showtime Anytime comprises a web site which distributes around 400 hours of program content available for streaming in standard or high definition. Content includes Showtime original programming, feature films, comedy specials, documentaries and sports programming.
, starring Michael C. Hall
as a police department blood-spatter analyst who maintains a secret life as a vigilante serial killer, and Weeds
, starring Mary-Louise Parker
as a widow from an upper-middle class suburb
of Los Angeles
who turns to dealing marijuana to support her family after her husband dies. Other shows include Dead Like Me
, Californication
, Nurse Jackie
, The Tudors
, Shameless, Soul Food, Queer as Folk, The L Word
, The Big C
and United States of Tara.
Another Showtime series, Brotherhood, about the intertwining lives of the Irish-American Caffee brothers from Providence, Rhode Island: Tommy, a local politician and Michael, a professional criminal, was quite popular critically with some even comparing the show to The Wire
and The Sopranos
. It was even said by one critic to be "the jewel Showtime has sought for years." However, it was not popular with viewers and was not renewed after its third season.
Showtime 2 carries one original program exclusive to the network, a late night program called Big Brother After Dark as a companion series to the American Big Brother series airing on sister broadcast network CBS
.
Showtime has long employed a late night block of programming called "Showtime After Hours", a block consisting of programming aimed at adults, airing after 12 a.m. ET; the programming featured within the block, which has existed since the early 1980s, includes smaller feature films and occasionally stand-up comedy specials
. Softcore erotica programming typically does not air within the block and adult films have been absent from the main Showtime channel since the mid-2000s (though a limited amount of original erotica series have resurfaced on the main channel in 2010, after having been absent for most of the previous decade), although the network's multiplex channels Showtime 2 and Showcase do occasionally feature adult films on their overnight schedules.
, The Weinstein Company
, Miramax Films
(also including rights to Dimension Films
releases), DreamWorks Pictures (live-action releases through Touchstone Pictures
only), CBS Films
, First Look Pictures, IFC Films
(rights are shared with Starz), THINKFilm
and Anchor Bay Entertainment
. Showtime holds sub-run rights to films from MGM, United Artists
, Sony Pictures, Paramount
and Disney.
After its launch, Showtime signed exclusive first-run agreements with several movie studios. The first exclusive deal between the channel and a movie studio was done in 1977, when United Artists
(then a subsidiary of Transamerica
) agreed with Showtime for an exclusive first-run deal for the next five years. United Artists was merged with MGM in 1981. The deal expired in 1982. After being merged with WASEC's The Movie Channel
, Paramount Pictures
(then owned by Gulf + Western) signed an exclusive deal with the newly formed Showtime/The Movie Channel
for 75 films for the next five years. In 1986, Showtime/TMC signed deals with Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group and Orion Pictures
. They lost the rights for new Paramount films in 1989 after HBO signed a deal with the studio two years earlier for features released from May 1988. By 1989, Showtime had already exclusive deals with Carolco Pictures
, Atlantic Entertainment Group, Cannon Films, Buena Vista, Universal Studios
, De Laurentiis Entertainment Group
, Imagine Entertainment
and Weintraub
. They lost out the rights for new Disney releases to Liberty
's Starz in 1997. On April 13, 1990, Showtime signed an exclusive first-run deal with New Line Cinema
. The deal expired in 1995, when the first-run rights were moved to Starz. On November 22, 1993, Showtime signed exclusive first-run premium cable rights with MGM and United Artists
which lasted 15 years.
After being acquired by Viacom
in 1994, Paramount Pictures
began an output deal with Showtime (then also owned by Viacom), effective after 1997, which lasted 10 years. After the old Viacom was split in two corporations, the output deal with Paramount was not renewed after 2007, thus the pay-cable rights transferred in 2009 to Viacom's Epix premium venture. Showtime has also agreements with IFC Films
(which it shares broadcasting rights with Starz), ThinkFilm
, certain films put out by The Weinstein Company
(those that are distributed theatrically in conjunction with MGM Studios), and the newly re-formed United Artists
(still a subsidiary of MGM). In 2008, the channel signed a deal with First Look Pictures to air their films.
The future of the channel was put into question when it was announced that three of its major suppliers of films Paramount Pictures
, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
, and Lions Gate Entertainment
, as well as their respected subsidiaries (Paramount Vantage
and United Artists
), would be teaming up together to form a new premium movie channel. Called Epix
, it launched in May 2009 as a broadband Internet service, and arrived on television on October 31 of that year. This is primary due to the company split-up of parent company Viacom
into two separate entities, Viacom and CBS Corporation
, the latter owning Showtime (though both companies are still controlled by National Amusements
). Paramount's contract with the channel expired January 2008. This includes such films as Cloverfield
and Iron Man
being available to the new channel upon its initial run. MGM and Lions Gate's contracts expired at the end of 2008.
On July 15, 2008, it was announced that Showtime had signed a seven-year deal with The Weinstein Company
to exclusively air their films during their initial premium-channel broadcasts, starting with their 2009 film slate. This includes films such as Nine
, All Good Things
and Quentin Tarantino
's Inglourious Basterds. The deal also includes films from the studio's subsidiary Dimension Films
. On December 4, 2008, Showtime entered into an exclusive 4-year output deal with Summit Entertainment
to air 42 of their films during their initial premium cable run. The deal includes all the films in the Twilight
franchise, as well as the films Push
, Knowing
with Nicolas Cage
, and the horror remake Sorority Row
.
Though not owning the broadcasting rights to show first-run movies from 20th Century Fox
, Showtime has been able to show independent films the studio owns the home video rights to, even if they didn't release them theatrically, most notably being Mel Gibson
's 2004 film, The Passion of the Christ
. Others include Party Monster, Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior
, Woman Thou Art Loosed
and Donnie Darko
. As of 2006, Showtime has a partial deal with Rogue Pictures
, allowing them to broadcast particular films put out by the studio (especially those originally produced for video), including Carlito's Way: Rise to Power
and Dave Chappelle's Block Party
.
On March 12, 2010, Showtime came to an agreement with The Walt Disney Company
, which had recently purchased the distribution rights to DreamWorks Pictures, to air at least 35 movies from the latter studio between 2009 and 2015 during their premium-cable run. This deal also allows Showtime first-choice to renew their contract when the initial tenure lapses. The deal does not include films from DreamWorks Animation
(the pay-cable rights to those films are held by HBO and Cinemax
). Showtime also inked a pay-cable output deal with CBS Films
, which is also owned by the network's parent company CBS Corporation.
Usually films to which Showtime has pay-cable rights will also run on The Movie Channel and Flix during its time of license.
produced under the banner Showtime Championship Boxing
; in 2001, the network launched ShoBox: The New Generation
, focusing primarily on up-and-coming boxers. In 2004, Showtime began broadcasting all domestic fights telecast on the channel in high definition. In December 2006, Showtime announced a deal to broadcast mixed martial arts
matches from the then-newly formed Elite Xtreme Combat
(or EliteXC), an MMA organization formed by Showtime Networks and ProElite, Inc., with all events broadcast under the banner ShoXC
; the league folded two years later in 2008.
In 2008, Showtime acquired Inside the NFL
, the longest-running program in the history of HBO, from that network when it had cancelled the seasonal analysis and interview program in February 2008. In February 2009, Strikeforce
announced a three-year broadcast agreement with Showtime, allowing it to broadcast up to 16 events per year, as well as a deal with sister network CBS
for an option to produce up to four events for them. In addition to broadcasting big-ticket Strikeforce events on Showtime, it also announced it would produce ShoMMA: Strikeforce Challengers
, an event series highlighting up-and-coming fighters.
In 2010, Showtime debuted another original sports insider program Inside NASCAR
. Showtime also operates Showtime PPV, formerly SET (Showtime Entertainment Television), which broadcasts boxing matches and other select event programming to pay-per-view
subscribers. In 2011, Showtime announced they were expanding their MMA
programming by televising events produced by M-1 Global
, the Russian PTC company of popular Strikeforce
fighter Fedor Emelianenko
.
, though without the circle in the center), accompanied by a generic "Showtime" text in Avant Garde
font. From 1984 to 1990, the screen was accompanied by an italic "Showtime" text in Franklin Gothic
type, with the "W" and "T" connected. The TV screen was dropped in 1989, and the italic text became the network logo from that point until 1997. That year, the current logo was implemented, consisting of the network's name in all capitals with the 'SHO' prefix imprinted on a circle (as with Cinemax's highlighting of 'MAX' in their logo, the use of 'SHO' as the logo focal point comes from the channel's former TV Guide abbreviation in the magazine's local listings era).
Showtime was one of the first U.S. premium channels to brand its programming with digital on-screen graphic logos starting in 1999, this originally pertained to only the main Showtime channel and Showtime 2 and was only done during promo breaks between programs; Showtime only shows their logo bug off-and-on during programming, while Showtime 2 runs theirs during all programming. On April 1, 2010 the remaining Showtime multiplex channels, Showtime Beyond, Showtime Extreme, Showtime Family Zone, Showtime Next and Showtime Women (as well as The Movie Channel
, The Movie Channel Xtra and Flix
) began using on-screen logo bugs during all of their programming.
Just like Starz, Showtime has recently begun to air lower-third promotions for upcoming programs during films airing during primetime slots on the main channel and during original series on the main Showtime channel, Showtime 2 and Showcase (in the case of its original series, the closing credits are typically replaced with a marginalized credit sequence similar to those used by the major U.S. broadcast networks).
networks that operate using its name; Showtime Australia
and Showtime Arabia
. It also has several channels that are licenced to use its name; Showtime Scandinavia
(Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden), Showtime Extreme (Spain), and others.
Showtime debuted on South African television for the first time as part of the new TopTV
satellite provider's package on May 1, 2010.
Pay TV
Pay television, premium television, or premium channels refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by both analog and digital cable and satellite, but also increasingly via digital terrestrial and internet television...
cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
service featuring programming that consists primarily of theatrically released motion pictures, along with original series, made-for-cable movies, and occasional boxing and mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
matches. The channel is owned by Showtime Networks, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation is an American media conglomerate focused on commercial broadcasting, publishing, billboards and television production, with most of its operations in the United States. The President and CEO of the company is Leslie Moonves. Sumner Redstone, owner of National Amusements, is CBS's...
.
As of April 2011, Showtime's programming reaches 20 million subscribers in the United States. The Showtime brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
is used by a number of channels and platforms around the world, but primarily refers to the group of channels in the United States.
History
Showtime, originally a service of ViacomViacom (1971–2005)
Viacom , stylized as VIACOM in its current logo, was an American media conglomerate. It was the owner of CBS, Nickelodeon & MTV, among others. Effective December 31, 2005, this corporate entity changed its name to CBS Corporation...
, went on the air on July 1, 1976, first shown on a local cable system in Dublin, California
Dublin, California
Dublin is a suburban city of the East Bay region of Alameda County, California, United States. Located along the north side of Interstate 580 at the intersection with Interstate 680, roughly east of Hayward, west of Livermore and north of San Jose, it was named after the city of Dublin in...
. Its first program was Celebration, a concert special featuring Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
and ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
.
On March 7, 1978, Showtime expanded to the national market via satellite, competing with HBO and other pay cable networks.
In 1979, Viacom sold 50% of Showtime to TelePrompTer
Teleprompter
An autocue is a display device that prompts the person speaking with an electronic visual text of a speech or script. Using a teleprompter is similar to the practice of using cue cards...
. In 1982, Westinghouse, who had acquired TelePrompTer the previous year, sold its share of Showtime back to Viacom. In 1983, Viacom and Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment
Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment
Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment Company was a joint venture owned and operated by Warner Communications and American Express that developed and worked on interactive television systems in the late 1970s and initiated several successful cable...
merged Showtime and The Movie Channel
The Movie Channel
The Movie Channel is an American premium channel owned by Showtime Networks, Inc., a subsidiary of CBS Corporation, which shows mostly movies, as well as special behind-the-scenes features, softcore adult erotica and movie trivia....
to form Showtime/The Movie Channel, Inc. (later Showtime Networks, Inc.). 1984 saw the premiere of Showtime's first original movie, The Ratings Game
The Ratings Game
The Ratings Game, is a 1984 cable TV-movie directed by Danny DeVito and produced by David Jablin.-Plot:Vic DeSalvo is a successful New Jersey trucking magnate with a desire to make it big as a Hollywood producer - but he has no talent...
, both starring, and directed by, Danny DeVito. In 1985, Viacom acquired Warner's share of Showtime/TMC, making them the sole owner of Showtime once again.
In 1990, Showtime ventured into acquiring and premiering independent films directly for the channel, originally as part of its 30-Minute Movie anthology series of short films. One of its first premieres, 12:01 PM
12:01 PM
"12:01 PM" is a short story by American writer Richard A. Lupoff, which was published in the December 1973 edition of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The story was twice adapted by Hollywood, first in 1990 as a short film, and again in 1993 as a television movie...
, was nominated for an Academy Award. In the years that followed, Showtime expanded its acquisitions into the realm of feature-length fare, including the 1997 remake of Lolita
Lolita (1997 film)
Lolita is a 1997 French-American drama film directed by Adrian Lyne. It is the second screen adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's novel of the same name and stars Jeremy Irons as Humbert Humbert and Dominique Swain as Dolores "Lolita" Haze, with supporting roles by Melanie Griffith as Charlotte Haze,...
, directed by Adrian Lyne
Adrian Lyne
Adrian Lyne is an English filmmaker and producer. He is best known for directing films that focus on sexually charged characters and often uses natural light, a fog machine and other effects to create eroticized atmospheres...
.
In the early 2000s, Showtime launched several additional multiplex channels including Showtime Too (a pun on its current name, Showtime 2), Showcase (formerly Showtime 3), Showtime Beyond and Showtime Extreme. Showtime had also launched several channels exclusively for digital cable: Showtime Family Zone, Showtime Next, and Showtime Women.
The Movie Channel
The Movie Channel is an American premium channel owned by Showtime Networks, Inc., a subsidiary of CBS Corporation, which shows mostly movies, as well as special behind-the-scenes features, softcore adult erotica and movie trivia....
, The Movie Channel Xtra
The Movie Channel
The Movie Channel is an American premium channel owned by Showtime Networks, Inc., a subsidiary of CBS Corporation, which shows mostly movies, as well as special behind-the-scenes features, softcore adult erotica and movie trivia....
and Flix
Flix (cable network)
Flix is an American premium television network that is owned by CBS Corporation subsidiary Showtime Networks, Inc., which also runs Showtime and The Movie Channel...
. Each multiplex channel offers movies and programs fitting each channel's particular theme. Premieres of popular movies are usually made on the primary channel.
In 2000, Showtime launched the "Showtime Interactive 24.7" channel—providing DVD-like interaction opportunities to its entertainment offerings. In the 2000s, Showtime began test marketing a subscription-video-on-demand SVOD
Stacked Volumetric Optical Disk
The Stacked Volumetric Optical Disc is an optical disc format developed by Hitachi/Maxell, which uses an array of wafer-thin optical discs to allow data storage....
system; the subscription-video-on-demand channel called Showtime On Demand, which users are able to see episodes of Showtime original series, movies, adult programming and boxing, was launched officially in 2002. Showtime also became one of the first cable TV network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
s to broadcast an HDTV
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
version of its channel, along with Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital
Dolby Digital is the name for audio compression technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories. It was originally called Dolby Stereo Digital until 1994. Except for Dolby TrueHD, the audio compression is lossy. The first use of Dolby Digital was to provide digital sound in cinemas from 35mm film prints...
5.1 surround sound.
In 2005, Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
and CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
announced its intention to split up only six years after Viacom bought the network and its television assets. The original Viacom was renamed CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation is an American media conglomerate focused on commercial broadcasting, publishing, billboards and television production, with most of its operations in the United States. The President and CEO of the company is Leslie Moonves. Sumner Redstone, owner of National Amusements, is CBS's...
and got the broadcasting elements, Paramount Television's production operations (renamed CBS Paramount Television
CBS Paramount Television
CBS Television Studios is an American television production/distribution company that was formed on January 17, 2006 by CBS Corporation merging Paramount Television and CBS Productions...
, now two separate arms, CBS Television Studios for production and CBS Television Distribution
CBS Television Distribution
CBS Television Distribution is a global television distribution company, formed from the merger of CBS Corporation's two domestic television distribution arms CBS Paramount Domestic Television and King World Productions, including its home entertainment arm CBS Home Entertainment...
for syndicated program distribution), Viacom Outdoor advertising (renamed CBS Outdoor
CBS Outdoor
CBS Outdoor is the outdoor advertising division of media conglomerate CBS Corporation. It is the third largest outdoor media owner in revenue terms...
), Showtime Networks, Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
and Paramount Parks
Paramount Parks
Paramount Parks was an operator of theme parks and attractions, which annually attracted about 13 million patrons. Viacom had assumed control of the company as part of its acquisition of Paramount Pictures in 1994....
, which the company later sold, while the new Viacom kept Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, MTV Networks
MTV Networks
MTV Networks is a division of media conglomerate Viacom that oversees the operations of many television channels and Internet brands, including the original MTV channel in the United States...
, BET Networks
BET Networks
BET Networks is a division of media conglomerate Viacom that oversees the operations of many television channels and Internet brands, including the original BET channel in the United States. BET Networks also operates BET Networks International.-BET Networks:...
, and (until it was sold off in 2007), Famous Music
Famous Music
Famous Music was the worldwide music publishing division of Paramount Pictures, a division of Viacom since 1994. Its copyright holdings span several decades and includes music from such Academy Award-winning motion pictures as The Godfather and Forrest Gump...
. National Amusements
National Amusements
National Amusements, Inc. is a privately owned theatre company based in Dedham, Massachusetts, USA. The company was founded in 1936 as the Northeast Theatre Corporation by Michael Redstone....
retains ownership of both companies to this day.
In May 2010, it was reported that Showtime plans to launch a service to stream episodes of original series to subscribers.
Channels
Showtime operates eight multiplexMultiplexing
The multiplexed signal is transmitted over a communication channel, which may be a physical transmission medium. The multiplexing divides the capacity of the low-level communication channel into several higher-level logical channels, one for each message signal or data stream to be transferred...
channels and a video on demand
Video on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
service (Showtime On Demand): Showtime also packages the Eastern
North American Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
and Pacific
Pacific Time Zone
The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States...
feeds of the main channel and its multiplex services together, giving viewers a second chance to watch the same movie/program three hours earlier or later — depending on their geographic location. However, certain cable systems only offer the main channel in this manner.
Note: the abbreviation in parenthesis is used as an on-screen identifier and in programming guides
- Showtime (SHO): The flagship channel; blockbuster movies, first-run films, original series, specials, mixed martial arts events and championship boxing.
- Showtime 2, referred on-air as SHO2 (SHO2): Secondary channel; offers more movies, original series and specials. Launched in 1991, the channel was rebranded as Showtime Too from 2001 to 2006.
- Showcase (SHO3): Similar to Showtime Two, features movies, first-run films and original pictures. The channel was previously known as Showtime 3 from 1996 to 2001.
- Showtime Beyond (SHOB): The channel features a mix of science fiction, fantasy and horror films as well as Showtime original sci-fi series; launched in 1999.
- Showtime Extreme (SHOX): Action and adventure, thrillers, gangster and martial arts. Airs over 60 movies each month and a Sunday double feature spotlighting a different action star; launched in 1998.
- Showtime Family Zone (SHOF): Family-oriented programming, including movies and specials aimed at a younger audience. All movies are G, PG, or PG-13 rated and no R-rated movies or TV-MA rated programming airs on Showtime Family Zone. The channel is currently exclusively available on digital cable, but is not available in all areas; launched in 2001.
- Showtime Next (SHON): Movies geared towards adults 18–24; features over 50 films each month, original pictures, short films and animated shorts; launched in 2001.
- Showtime Women (SHOW): Targeted to women; airs films, Showtime original series and specials geared primarily at women; launched in 2001.
Showtime HD
Showtime provides 1080i1080i
1080i is the shorthand name for a high-definition television mode. The i means interlaced video; 1080i differs from 1080p, in which the p stands for progressive scan. The term 1080i assumes a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, implying a frame size of 1920×1080 pixels...
high definition simulcast feeds of all of its channels except Showtime Family Zone, which are carried by most of the major American television providers.
Showtime On Demand
Showtime On Demand is the Video on DemandVideo on demand
Video on Demand or Audio and Video On Demand are systems which allow users to select and watch/listen to video or audio content on demand...
counterpart to Showtime and is available to subscribers of Showtime on most providers.
Showtime Anytime
On October 27, 2010, Showtime launched Showtime Anytime to customers of ComcastComcast
Comcast Corporation is the largest cable operator, home Internet service provider, and fourth largest home telephone service provider in the United States, providing cable television, broadband Internet, and telephone service to both residential and commercial customers in 39 states and the...
's Xfinity TV service who are subscribers to Showtime. Showtime Anytime comprises a web site which distributes around 400 hours of program content available for streaming in standard or high definition. Content includes Showtime original programming, feature films, comedy specials, documentaries and sports programming.
Programming
Showtime has several original programs airing on the network. The most popular shows are DexterDexter (TV series)
Dexter is an American television drama series, which debuted on Showtime on October 1, 2006. The sixth season premiered on October 2, 2011. The series centers on Dexter Morgan , a bloodstain pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer...
, starring Michael C. Hall
Michael C. Hall
Michael Carlyle Hall is an American actor whose television roles include David Fisher on the HBO drama series Six Feet Under and Dexter Morgan on the Showtime series Dexter. In 2009, Hall won a Golden Globe award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for his role in Dexter.-Early life:Hall was born in...
as a police department blood-spatter analyst who maintains a secret life as a vigilante serial killer, and Weeds
Weeds (TV series)
Weeds is an American television comedy created by Jenji Kohan and produced by Tilted Productions in association with Lionsgate Television. The central character is Nancy Botwin , a widowed mother of two boys who begins selling marijuana to support her family after her husband dies suddenly of a...
, starring Mary-Louise Parker
Mary-Louise Parker
Mary-Louise Parker is an American actress, known for her current lead role on Showtime's television series Weeds portraying Nancy Botwin, for which she has received several nominations and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in 2006...
as a widow from an upper-middle class suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Los Angeles
Los Angeles Metropolitan Area
The Los Angeles metropolitan area, also known as Metropolitan Los Angeles or the Southland, is the 13th largest metropolitan area in the world and the second-largest metropolitan area in the United States....
who turns to dealing marijuana to support her family after her husband dies. Other shows include Dead Like Me
Dead Like Me
Dead Like Me was an American-Canadian comedy-drama television series starring Ellen Muth and Mandy Patinkin as grim reapers who reside and work in Seattle, Washington. Filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, the show was created by Bryan Fuller for the Showtime network, where it ran for two seasons...
, Californication
Californication (TV series)
Californication is an American comedy-drama that premiered on Showtime on August 13, 2007. The show was created by Tom Kapinos. The protagonist, Hank Moody , is a troubled novelist whose move to California, coupled with his writer's block, complicates his relationships with his longtime girlfriend...
, Nurse Jackie
Nurse Jackie
Nurse Jackie is an American series that premiered on June 8, 2009, on Showtime, Movie Central and The Movie Network.The series stars Edie Falco as the title character Jackie Peyton, an emergency room nurse at All Saints' Hospital in New York City...
, The Tudors
The Tudors
The Tudors is a Canadian produced historical fiction television series filmed in Ireland, created by Michael Hirst and produced for the American premium cable television channel Showtime...
, Shameless, Soul Food, Queer as Folk, The L Word
The L Word
The L Word is an American co-production television drama series originally shown on Showtime portraying the lives of a group of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their friends, family and lovers in the trendy Greater Los Angeles, California city of West Hollywood...
, The Big C
The Big C (TV series)
The Big C is a Showtime original television series created by Darlene Hunt which premiered on August 16, 2010. It drew the largest audience for a Showtime original series premiere in eight years. On September 20, 2010, The Big C was renewed for a second season which premiered on June 27, 2011...
and United States of Tara.
Another Showtime series, Brotherhood, about the intertwining lives of the Irish-American Caffee brothers from Providence, Rhode Island: Tommy, a local politician and Michael, a professional criminal, was quite popular critically with some even comparing the show to The Wire
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
and The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
. It was even said by one critic to be "the jewel Showtime has sought for years." However, it was not popular with viewers and was not renewed after its third season.
Showtime 2 carries one original program exclusive to the network, a late night program called Big Brother After Dark as a companion series to the American Big Brother series airing on sister broadcast network CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
.
Showtime has long employed a late night block of programming called "Showtime After Hours", a block consisting of programming aimed at adults, airing after 12 a.m. ET; the programming featured within the block, which has existed since the early 1980s, includes smaller feature films and occasionally stand-up comedy specials
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
. Softcore erotica programming typically does not air within the block and adult films have been absent from the main Showtime channel since the mid-2000s (though a limited amount of original erotica series have resurfaced on the main channel in 2010, after having been absent for most of the previous decade), although the network's multiplex channels Showtime 2 and Showcase do occasionally feature adult films on their overnight schedules.
Movie library
As of 2011, Showtime holds first-run premium cable rights to films from Summit EntertainmentSummit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment LLC is an independent film studio headquartered in Santa Monica, California with international offices in London.-History:...
, The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company is an American film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979...
, Miramax Films
Miramax Films
Miramax Films is an American entertainment company known for distributing independent and foreign films. For its first 14 years the company was privately owned by its founders, Bob and Harvey Weinstein...
(also including rights to Dimension Films
Dimension Films
Dimension Films is a motion picture unit currently a part of The Weinstein Company. It was formerly used as Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax Films, to produce and release genre films...
releases), DreamWorks Pictures (live-action releases through Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures is an American film production label and is one of several film labels of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. Established in 1984, its releases typically feature more mature themes and darker tones than those that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.Touchstone...
only), CBS Films
CBS Films
CBS Films is an American film production company founded in 2007, a feature film division of CBS Corporation. CBS Films is located on Wilshire Boulevard in West Los Angeles.-Company history:...
, First Look Pictures, IFC Films
IFC Films
IFC Films is an American film distribution company based in New York, owned by AMC Networks. It distributes independent films and documentaries under the IFC Films, Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight. It operates the IFC Center....
(rights are shared with Starz), THINKFilm
THINKFilm
THINKFilm is a privately held production and distribution company founded in September 2001. It has been a division of David Bergstein’s Capitol Films since 2006. Bergstein also serves as the company’s chairman...
and Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment is a U.S. based home entertainment and production company and is a division of Starz Media, which is a unit of Starz, LLC. It was previously owned by IDT Entertainment until 2006 when IDT was purchased by Starz Media. Anchor Bay markets and sells feature films, series,...
. Showtime holds sub-run rights to films from MGM, United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
, Sony Pictures, Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
and Disney.
After its launch, Showtime signed exclusive first-run agreements with several movie studios. The first exclusive deal between the channel and a movie studio was done in 1977, when United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
(then a subsidiary of Transamerica
Transamerica Corporation
Transamerica Corporation is a holding company for various life insurance companies and investment firms doing business primarily in the United States. It was acquired by the Dutch financial services conglomerate AEGON in 1999.-History:...
) agreed with Showtime for an exclusive first-run deal for the next five years. United Artists was merged with MGM in 1981. The deal expired in 1982. After being merged with WASEC's The Movie Channel
The Movie Channel
The Movie Channel is an American premium channel owned by Showtime Networks, Inc., a subsidiary of CBS Corporation, which shows mostly movies, as well as special behind-the-scenes features, softcore adult erotica and movie trivia....
, Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
(then owned by Gulf + Western) signed an exclusive deal with the newly formed Showtime/The Movie Channel
Showtime Networks
Showtime Networks, Inc. is the corporate division of media conglomerate CBS Corporation.The company was established in 1983 as Showtime/The Movie Channel, Inc. after Viacom and Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment merged their premium channels, Showtime and The Movie Channel respectively, into one...
for 75 films for the next five years. In 1986, Showtime/TMC signed deals with Buena Vista Motion Pictures Group and Orion Pictures
Orion Pictures
Orion Pictures Corporation was an American independent production company that produced movies from 1978 until 1998. It was formed in 1978 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and three former top-level executives of United Artists. Although it was never a large motion picture producer, Orion...
. They lost the rights for new Paramount films in 1989 after HBO signed a deal with the studio two years earlier for features released from May 1988. By 1989, Showtime had already exclusive deals with Carolco Pictures
Carolco Pictures
Carolco Pictures, Inc., Carolco International N.V., or Anabasis Investments was an American independent film production company that, within a decade, went from producing such blockbuster successes as Terminator 2: Judgment Day and the first three movies of the Rambo series to being bankrupted by...
, Atlantic Entertainment Group, Cannon Films, Buena Vista, Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
, De Laurentiis Entertainment Group
De Laurentiis Entertainment Group
De Laurentiis Entertainment Group was a production company/distribution unit founded by producer Dino De Laurentiis.The company is notable for producing Manhunter, Blue Velvet, the horror films Near Dark and Evil Dead II, King Kong Lives , and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, as well as...
, Imagine Entertainment
Imagine Entertainment
Imagine Entertainment is a film and television production company founded in 1986 by director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer.Its productions include the television series 24 and Arrested Development and the films Apollo 13 , A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code .-Organization:Karen...
and Weintraub
Jerry Weintraub
Jerry Weintraub is an American film producer and former chairman and CEO of United Artists. He now lives in Palm Desert, California.-Life and career:...
. They lost out the rights for new Disney releases to Liberty
Liberty Media
Liberty Media Corporation is an American media conglomerate and the control is exercised by company Chairman John C. Malone, who owns a majority of the voting shares....
's Starz in 1997. On April 13, 1990, Showtime signed an exclusive first-run deal with New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema, often simply referred to as New Line, is an American film studio. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne as a film distributor, later becoming an independent film studio. It became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996 and was merged with larger sister studio Warner...
. The deal expired in 1995, when the first-run rights were moved to Starz. On November 22, 1993, Showtime signed exclusive first-run premium cable rights with MGM and United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
which lasted 15 years.
After being acquired by Viacom
Viacom (1971–2005)
Viacom , stylized as VIACOM in its current logo, was an American media conglomerate. It was the owner of CBS, Nickelodeon & MTV, among others. Effective December 31, 2005, this corporate entity changed its name to CBS Corporation...
in 1994, Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
began an output deal with Showtime (then also owned by Viacom), effective after 1997, which lasted 10 years. After the old Viacom was split in two corporations, the output deal with Paramount was not renewed after 2007, thus the pay-cable rights transferred in 2009 to Viacom's Epix premium venture. Showtime has also agreements with IFC Films
IFC Films
IFC Films is an American film distribution company based in New York, owned by AMC Networks. It distributes independent films and documentaries under the IFC Films, Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight. It operates the IFC Center....
(which it shares broadcasting rights with Starz), ThinkFilm
THINKFilm
THINKFilm is a privately held production and distribution company founded in September 2001. It has been a division of David Bergstein’s Capitol Films since 2006. Bergstein also serves as the company’s chairman...
, certain films put out by The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company is an American film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979...
(those that are distributed theatrically in conjunction with MGM Studios), and the newly re-formed United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
(still a subsidiary of MGM). In 2008, the channel signed a deal with First Look Pictures to air their films.
The future of the channel was put into question when it was announced that three of its major suppliers of films Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
, and Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation is a North American entertainment company. The company was formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1997, and is headquartered in Santa Monica, California...
, as well as their respected subsidiaries (Paramount Vantage
Paramount Vantage
Paramount Vantage is the specialty film division of Paramount Pictures , charged with producing, purchasing, distributing and marketing films, generally those with a more "art house" feel than films made and distributed by its parent company.Paramount Classics was launched in 1998 and...
and United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
), would be teaming up together to form a new premium movie channel. Called Epix
Epix (TV network)
Epix is an American premium television channel that is operated by Studio 3 Partners—a joint venture among Viacom , MGM, and Lionsgate. Viacom handles operational support, including marketing and affiliate services for the service through its MTV Networks division.Epix offers a companion video on...
, it launched in May 2009 as a broadband Internet service, and arrived on television on October 31 of that year. This is primary due to the company split-up of parent company Viacom
Viacom
Viacom Inc. , short for "Video & Audio Communications", is an American media conglomerate with interests primarily in, but not limited to, cinema and cable television...
into two separate entities, Viacom and CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation
CBS Corporation is an American media conglomerate focused on commercial broadcasting, publishing, billboards and television production, with most of its operations in the United States. The President and CEO of the company is Leslie Moonves. Sumner Redstone, owner of National Amusements, is CBS's...
, the latter owning Showtime (though both companies are still controlled by National Amusements
National Amusements
National Amusements, Inc. is a privately owned theatre company based in Dedham, Massachusetts, USA. The company was founded in 1936 as the Northeast Theatre Corporation by Michael Redstone....
). Paramount's contract with the channel expired January 2008. This includes such films as Cloverfield
Cloverfield
Cloverfield is a 2008 American disaster-monster film directed by Matt Reeves, produced by J. J. Abrams and written by Drew Goddard.The film follows six young New Yorkers attending a going-away party on the night that a gigantic monster attacks the city...
and Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
being available to the new channel upon its initial run. MGM and Lions Gate's contracts expired at the end of 2008.
On July 15, 2008, it was announced that Showtime had signed a seven-year deal with The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company is an American film studio founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in 2005 after the brothers left the then-Disney-owned Miramax Films, which they had co-founded in 1979...
to exclusively air their films during their initial premium-channel broadcasts, starting with their 2009 film slate. This includes films such as Nine
Nine (film)
Nine is a 2009 musical-romantic film directed and produced by Rob Marshall. The screenplay, written by Michael Tolkin and Anthony Minghella, is based on Arthur Kopit's book for the 1982 musical of the same name, which was itself suggested by Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical film 8½...
, All Good Things
All Good Things (film)
All Good Things is a 2010 romantic mystery film directed by Andrew Jarecki starring Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst. The film is inspired by the life of accused murderer Robert Durst. All Good Things was filmed between April and July 2008 in Connecticut and New York...
and Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
's Inglourious Basterds. The deal also includes films from the studio's subsidiary Dimension Films
Dimension Films
Dimension Films is a motion picture unit currently a part of The Weinstein Company. It was formerly used as Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax Films, to produce and release genre films...
. On December 4, 2008, Showtime entered into an exclusive 4-year output deal with Summit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment
Summit Entertainment LLC is an independent film studio headquartered in Santa Monica, California with international offices in London.-History:...
to air 42 of their films during their initial premium cable run. The deal includes all the films in the Twilight
The Twilight Saga (film series)
The Twilight Saga is a series of supernatural romance fantasy films from Summit Entertainment based on the four Twilight series novels by the American author Stephenie Meyer. The films star Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner. The series has grossed over $2 billion in worldwide...
franchise, as well as the films Push
Push (2009 film)
Push is a 2009 American science fiction thriller film directed by Paul McGuigan. The film stars Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, Cliff Curtis, Joel Gretsch and Djimon Hounsou...
, Knowing
Knowing (film)
Knowing is a 2009 American-British science fiction film directed by Alex Proyas and starring Nicolas Cage. The project was originally attached to a number of directors under Columbia Pictures, but it was placed in turnaround and eventually picked up by Escape Artists. Production was financially...
with Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage is an American actor, producer and director, having appeared in over 60 films including Raising Arizona , The Rock , Face/Off , Gone in 60 Seconds , Adaptation , National Treasure , Ghost Rider , Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans , and...
, and the horror remake Sorority Row
Sorority Row
Sorority Row is a 2009 American slasher film, and a re-imagining of the 1983 slasher film The House on Sorority Row. It was directed by Stewart Hendler, written by Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger, and stars Briana Evigan, Leah Pipes, Rumer Willis, Jamie Chung, Margo Harshman, Audrina Patridge,...
.
Though not owning the broadcasting rights to show first-run movies from 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
, Showtime has been able to show independent films the studio owns the home video rights to, even if they didn't release them theatrically, most notably being Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
's 2004 film, The Passion of the Christ
The Passion of the Christ
The Passion of the Christ is a 2004 American drama film directed by Mel Gibson and starring Jim Caviezel as Jesus. It depicts the Passion of Jesus largely according to the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John...
. Others include Party Monster, Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior
Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior
Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior , also known in the United States as Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior is a 2003 Thai action film. It was directed by Prachya Pinkaew, featured stunt choreography by Panna Rittikrai and starred Tony Jaa. Ong-Bak proved to be Jaa's breakout film, with the actor hailed...
, Woman Thou Art Loosed
Woman Thou Art Loosed
Woman Thou Art Loosed is a 2004 film directed by Michael Schultz and written by Stan Foster. It was produced by Stan Foster and Reuben Cannon. It is the 44th film or series directed by Schultz and is adopted from the self-help novel by Bishop T.D. Jakes. The film tells the story of a young woman...
and Donnie Darko
Donnie Darko
Donnie Darko is a 2001 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Noah Wyle, Jena Malone, and Mary McDonnell...
. As of 2006, Showtime has a partial deal with Rogue Pictures
Rogue Pictures
Rogue is a subsidiary of Relativity Media. The company has about 25 titles in its library.- Background :In 1997, Rogue Pictures was formed as a division of PolyGram Pictures but the name was dropped in 2000 after Universal Pictures bought PolyGram...
, allowing them to broadcast particular films put out by the studio (especially those originally produced for video), including Carlito's Way: Rise to Power
Carlito's Way: Rise to Power
Carlito's Way: Rise to Power is a 2005 direct-to-video prequel to Brian De Palma's 1993 film Carlito's Way, based on the novel Carlito's Way by Judge Edwin Torres...
and Dave Chappelle's Block Party
Dave Chappelle's Block Party
A compilation of "music from and inspired by" the film was released on March 14, 2006.The album was released by Geffen Records, and produced by Corey Smyth for Blacksmith Music Corp and Questlove.#Dead Prez - "Hip Hop"#Black Star - "Definition"...
.
On March 12, 2010, Showtime came to an agreement with The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
, which had recently purchased the distribution rights to DreamWorks Pictures, to air at least 35 movies from the latter studio between 2009 and 2015 during their premium-cable run. This deal also allows Showtime first-choice to renew their contract when the initial tenure lapses. The deal does not include films from DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. is an American animation studio based in Glendale, California that creates animated feature films, television program and online virtual worlds...
(the pay-cable rights to those films are held by HBO and Cinemax
Cinemax
Cinemax, sometimes abbreviated as simply "Max", is a collection of premium television networks that broadcasts primarily feature films, along with softcore erotica, original action series, documentaries and special behind-the-scenes features. Cinemax is operated by Home Box Office, Inc., a...
). Showtime also inked a pay-cable output deal with CBS Films
CBS Films
CBS Films is an American film production company founded in 2007, a feature film division of CBS Corporation. CBS Films is located on Wilshire Boulevard in West Los Angeles.-Company history:...
, which is also owned by the network's parent company CBS Corporation.
Usually films to which Showtime has pay-cable rights will also run on The Movie Channel and Flix during its time of license.
Sports programming
Showtime broadcasts a limited amount of sports programming on its schedule produced by the channel's Showtime Sports division. Beginning in March 1986, Showtime's sports programming consisted largely of boxing matchesBoxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
produced under the banner Showtime Championship Boxing
Showtime Championship Boxing
Showtime Championship Boxing is a television boxing program airing on Showtime. Debuting in March 1986, it is broadcast live on the first Saturday of every month...
; in 2001, the network launched ShoBox: The New Generation
ShoBox: The New Generation
ShoBox: The New Generation is a boxing television program, on Showtime. Debuting in 2001, it focuses mainly on up-and-coming boxing prospects. This program, which is a spin-off of its sister boxing program, Showtime Championship Boxing, usually televises live at 11 p.m. ET/PT on selected Fridays...
, focusing primarily on up-and-coming boxers. In 2004, Showtime began broadcasting all domestic fights telecast on the channel in high definition. In December 2006, Showtime announced a deal to broadcast mixed martial arts
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
matches from the then-newly formed Elite Xtreme Combat
Elite Xtreme Combat
Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a U.S.-based mixed martial arts organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on December 14, 2006. It was headquartered in Los Angeles, California.The...
(or EliteXC), an MMA organization formed by Showtime Networks and ProElite, Inc., with all events broadcast under the banner ShoXC
ShoXC
ShoXC was a mixed martial arts series produced by the mixed martial arts organization EliteXC, Showtime and Proelite.com. The series was announced on July 11, 2007. The purpose of the show is to highlight up and coming MMA fighters....
; the league folded two years later in 2008.
In 2008, Showtime acquired Inside the NFL
Inside the NFL
Inside the NFL is a weekly cable television sports show that focuses on the National Football League. It originally aired on HBO from 1977 through 2008...
, the longest-running program in the history of HBO, from that network when it had cancelled the seasonal analysis and interview program in February 2008. In February 2009, Strikeforce
Strikeforce
Strikeforce is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization based in San Jose, California. It is headed by CEO Scott Coker and owned by Zuffa, LLC...
announced a three-year broadcast agreement with Showtime, allowing it to broadcast up to 16 events per year, as well as a deal with sister network CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
for an option to produce up to four events for them. In addition to broadcasting big-ticket Strikeforce events on Showtime, it also announced it would produce ShoMMA: Strikeforce Challengers
ShoMMA
ShoMMA: Strikeforce Challengers is a mixed martial arts series produced by the mixed martial arts organization Strikeforce and the Showtime cable network. Similar to Showtime's earlier ShoXC, the purpose of the series is to highlight up and coming MMA fighters. Upcoming events are listed in...
, an event series highlighting up-and-coming fighters.
In 2010, Showtime debuted another original sports insider program Inside NASCAR
Inside NASCAR
Inside NASCAR is a television show, broadcasted on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday during the NASCAR season on Showtime. The show is hosted by Chris Myers, while the analysts are Brad Daugherty, Michael Waltrip, and Randy Pemberton. Kyle Petty joins in 2011 as an analyst. The show is a 30...
. Showtime also operates Showtime PPV, formerly SET (Showtime Entertainment Television), which broadcasts boxing matches and other select event programming to pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
subscribers. In 2011, Showtime announced they were expanding their MMA
Mixed martial arts
Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...
programming by televising events produced by M-1 Global
M-1 Global
M-1 Global is the mixed martial arts promotion based in Russia - The Netherlands which organizes between 40 and 50 competitions per year...
, the Russian PTC company of popular Strikeforce
Strikeforce
Strikeforce is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization based in San Jose, California. It is headed by CEO Scott Coker and owned by Zuffa, LLC...
fighter Fedor Emelianenko
Fedor Emelianenko
Fedor Vladimirovich Emelianenko) is a Russian heavyweight mixed martial artist. He has won numerous tournaments and accolades in multiple sports, most notably the Pride 2004 Grand Prix and the World Combat Sambo championship on four occasions, as well as medaling in the Russian national Judo...
.
Branding
Showtime's original logo was a circle with a TV screen inside (very similar to the logo used by Brazilian television network Rede GloboRede Globo
Rede Globo , or simply Globo, is a Brazilian television network, launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on April 26, 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Organizações Globo, being by far the largest of its holdings...
, though without the circle in the center), accompanied by a generic "Showtime" text in Avant Garde
ITC Avant Garde
ITC Avant Garde Gothic is a font family based on the logo font used in the Avant Garde magazine. Herb Lubalin devised the logo concept and its companion headline typeface, then he and Tom Carnase, a partner in Lubalin's design firm, worked together to transform the idea into a full-fledged...
font. From 1984 to 1990, the screen was accompanied by an italic "Showtime" text in Franklin Gothic
Franklin Gothic
Franklin Gothic and its related faces are realist sans-serif typefaces originated by Morris Fuller Benton in 1902. “Gothic” is an increasingly archaic term meaning sans-serif. Franklin Gothic has been used in many advertisements and headlines in newspapers. The typeface continues to maintain a...
type, with the "W" and "T" connected. The TV screen was dropped in 1989, and the italic text became the network logo from that point until 1997. That year, the current logo was implemented, consisting of the network's name in all capitals with the 'SHO' prefix imprinted on a circle (as with Cinemax's highlighting of 'MAX' in their logo, the use of 'SHO' as the logo focal point comes from the channel's former TV Guide abbreviation in the magazine's local listings era).
Showtime was one of the first U.S. premium channels to brand its programming with digital on-screen graphic logos starting in 1999, this originally pertained to only the main Showtime channel and Showtime 2 and was only done during promo breaks between programs; Showtime only shows their logo bug off-and-on during programming, while Showtime 2 runs theirs during all programming. On April 1, 2010 the remaining Showtime multiplex channels, Showtime Beyond, Showtime Extreme, Showtime Family Zone, Showtime Next and Showtime Women (as well as The Movie Channel
The Movie Channel
The Movie Channel is an American premium channel owned by Showtime Networks, Inc., a subsidiary of CBS Corporation, which shows mostly movies, as well as special behind-the-scenes features, softcore adult erotica and movie trivia....
, The Movie Channel Xtra and Flix
Flix (cable network)
Flix is an American premium television network that is owned by CBS Corporation subsidiary Showtime Networks, Inc., which also runs Showtime and The Movie Channel...
) began using on-screen logo bugs during all of their programming.
Just like Starz, Showtime has recently begun to air lower-third promotions for upcoming programs during films airing during primetime slots on the main channel and during original series on the main Showtime channel, Showtime 2 and Showcase (in the case of its original series, the closing credits are typically replaced with a marginalized credit sequence similar to those used by the major U.S. broadcast networks).
Network slogans
- 1976–1982: We're Sure You're Going to Like What You See
- 1982–1984: All Eyes Turn for Showtime
- 1984–1988: Showtime Excitement / We Make Excitement
- 1987: Showtime Has the Hits HBO Misses
- 1987–1990: Where the Action Is
- 1989: Here You See Them. There You Don't. ("Here" refers to Showtime; "There" refers to HBO)
- 1990–1993: We Entertain You Like No One Can
- 1993–1995: Something Good is Gonna Happen
- 1997–2005: No Limits
- 2005–2011: TV. At Its Best.
- 2011–present: Brace Yourself
International
Showtime has two main pay TVPay TV
Pay television, premium television, or premium channels refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by both analog and digital cable and satellite, but also increasingly via digital terrestrial and internet television...
networks that operate using its name; Showtime Australia
Showtime Australia
For the American service, see ShowtimeShowtime Movie Channels is an Australian pay-TV movie service, available on the Foxtel, Optus and Austar TV platforms, the service consists of five original channels , three HD simulcasts For the American service, see ShowtimeShowtime Movie Channels is an...
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...
. It also has several channels that are licenced to use its name; Showtime Scandinavia
Showtime Scandinavia
Showtime Scandinavia is a television channel broadcasting action movies to the Nordic countries operated by NonStop Television, part of Turner Broadcasting System, TBS, Inc., which merged with Time Warner in 1996, and now operates as a semi-autonomous unit of Time Warner...
(Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden), Showtime Extreme (Spain), and others.
Showtime debuted on South African television for the first time as part of the new TopTV
TopTV
TopTV is a South African satellite TV service that began broadcasting on 1 May 2010. TopTV is owned by On Digital Media, who were granted a pay-TV license by ICASA in September 2007. On Digital Media is 20% owned by TV satellite operator, SES Astra...
satellite provider's package on May 1, 2010.