Showtime Scandinavia
Encyclopedia
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. Its name and logo is licensed by Showtime Networks Inc.
, owners of the American Showtime. The two channels however do not share any programme content.
The channel was named Showtime and started broadcasting at 18:00 hrs. (CET) on September 30, 2004. It was then available from Boxer TV Access
(DTT in Sweden), Canal Digital
satellite throughout the Nordic countries and cable services.
In 2005, the channel became available in the basic analogue package for the Canal Digital
cable viewers in Norway.
In February 2006, the Swedish government took back Showtime's terrestrial license. NonStop Television were however awarded a new license for a channel called Nonstop Filmfestival (working title). The channel was named Silver
and replaces Showtime in May 2006.
Movies are delivered by several distributors, such as Buena Vista Internatioanl Television, Fox
, MGM, Paramount
and Universal
.
Subtitling is available in Norwegian
, Swedish
, Danish
and Finnish
.
Via satellite, the channel is distributed through Canal Digital
. As of 2006, the channel is added as a bonus when buying both the Canal+ and Family package. The channel isn't (as of 2006) available through Viasat
.
Showtime is available through many cable distributors, including Canal Digital
, Com Hem
(Sweden), HTV
(Finland), TDC
(Denmark) and UPC
(Sweden and Norway).
Since December 2009 the same NonStop Television
has started also a "Showtime Baltics" channel in Estonia, which in 2010 should start to operate in Latvia and Lithuania as well.
Television channel
A television channel is a physical or virtual channel over which a television station or television network is distributed. For example, in North America, "channel 2" refers to the broadcast or cable band of 54 to 60 MHz, with carrier frequencies of 55.25 MHz for NTSC analog video and...
broadcasting action movies to the Nordic countries
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
operated by NonStop Television
NonStop Television
NonStop Television is a Scandinavian television company, part of Turner Broadcasting System, packaging and distributing a number of specialty channels, mostly to the Nordic region. The company is a part of Millennium Media Group...
, part of Turner Broadcasting System
Turner Broadcasting System
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. is the Time Warner subsidiary managing the collection of cable networks and properties started and acquired by Robert Edward "Ted" Turner starting in the mid-1970s. The company has its headquarters in the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. TBS, Inc...
, TBS, Inc., which merged with Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
in 1996, and now operates as a semi-autonomous unit of Time Warner. Its name and logo is licensed by Showtime Networks Inc.
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...
, owners of the American Showtime. The two channels however do not share any programme content.
History
NonStop Television received a license for a channel with the working title NonStop Film on January 2004 when the government awarded new licenses for the terrestrial network (DTT). The channel was put into the new fifth multiplex that covered 50 percent of the country.The channel was named Showtime and started broadcasting at 18:00 hrs. (CET) on September 30, 2004. It was then available from Boxer TV Access
Boxer TV Access
Boxer TV Access is a Swedish company providing pay television channels on the digital terrestrial television network in Sweden. Modeled on the British ITV Digital, it was founded in October 1999. Some channels on the Swedish DTT are free-to-air, but most of the channels require subscription from...
(DTT in Sweden), Canal Digital
Canal Digital
Canal Digital is a Scandinavian television distributor and internet service provider that was founded in March 1997 as a joint venture between the French pay-TV company Canal+ and the Norwegian telecommunications operator Telenor...
satellite throughout the Nordic countries and cable services.
In 2005, the channel became available in the basic analogue package for the Canal Digital
Canal Digital
Canal Digital is a Scandinavian television distributor and internet service provider that was founded in March 1997 as a joint venture between the French pay-TV company Canal+ and the Norwegian telecommunications operator Telenor...
cable viewers in Norway.
In February 2006, the Swedish government took back Showtime's terrestrial license. NonStop Television were however awarded a new license for a channel called Nonstop Filmfestival (working title). The channel was named Silver
Silver (TV channel)
Silver is a movie television channel broadcasting to the Nordic countries broadcasting quality movies, "World cinema" and independent films. The channel is managed by Scandinavian television broadcaster NonStop Television, part of Turner Broadcasting System, TBS, Inc., which merged with Time Warner...
and replaces Showtime in May 2006.
Content
The programming consists almost entirely of action movies (and programmes about movies) dating from the 1970s to more recent days.Movies are delivered by several distributors, such as Buena Vista Internatioanl Television, 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...
, MGM, 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 Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
.
Subtitling is available in Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
, Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
and Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
.
Availability
According to NonStop, the channel is available to approximately 1 million households as of April 2006.Via satellite, the channel is distributed through Canal Digital
Canal Digital
Canal Digital is a Scandinavian television distributor and internet service provider that was founded in March 1997 as a joint venture between the French pay-TV company Canal+ and the Norwegian telecommunications operator Telenor...
. As of 2006, the channel is added as a bonus when buying both the Canal+ and Family package. The channel isn't (as of 2006) available through Viasat
Viasat
Viasat is a DBS distributor and TV broadcaster, owned by the Swedish media conglomerate Modern Times Group. Broadcasting from London, the target markets are in the Nordic and the Baltic Countries...
.
Showtime is available through many cable distributors, including Canal Digital
Canal Digital
Canal Digital is a Scandinavian television distributor and internet service provider that was founded in March 1997 as a joint venture between the French pay-TV company Canal+ and the Norwegian telecommunications operator Telenor...
, Com Hem
Com Hem
Com Hem AB of Sweden, supplies triple play services that include cable tv, digital television, broadband, telephony and HDTV.Founded in 1983 as Televerket Kabel-TV as part of the former state-owned Televerket, the company has been successively named Svenska Kabel-TV AB and Telia InfoMedia...
(Sweden), HTV
HTV
HTV, now legally known as ITV Wales & West, is the ITV contractor for Wales and the West of England, which operated from studios in Cardiff and Bristol. The company provided commercial television for the dual-region 'Wales and West' franchise, which it won from TWW in 1968...
(Finland), TDC
TDC A/S
TDC A/S is the former telecom monopoly in Denmark. It is now privatized. Thus, it is the biggest company in all aspects of telecommunications in Denmark with landline, mobile, Internet, VHF maritime borderline-radio etc.By the end of 2004, the TDC Group had more than 13.4 mil. customers in Europe:...
(Denmark) and UPC
UPC Broadband
UPC Broadband is a Pan-European Communications company owned by Liberty Global and is active in several European countries providing bundled cable television, internet and telephone services....
(Sweden and Norway).
Since December 2009 the same NonStop Television
NonStop Television
NonStop Television is a Scandinavian television company, part of Turner Broadcasting System, packaging and distributing a number of specialty channels, mostly to the Nordic region. The company is a part of Millennium Media Group...
has started also a "Showtime Baltics" channel in Estonia, which in 2010 should start to operate in Latvia and Lithuania as well.