Showtime Networks
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cable television |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Headquarters | New York City, United States |
Key people | Matthew C. Blank (Chairman/CEO) Ken Kay (Senior VP/General Manager) David Nevins (President of Entertainment) |
| Products | Pay television |
| Revenue | $950 million (2011)[1] |
| Owner | CBS Corporation |
Number of employees | 1,050[1] |
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI) is the subsidiary of media conglomerate CBS Corporation that oversees the company's premium cable television channels, including its flagship service Showtime.
Overview
The company was established in 1983 as Showtime/The Movie Channel, Inc. after Viacom and Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment (now Viacom Media Networks) merged their premium channels, Showtime and The Movie Channel respectively, into one division. In 1984, American Express sold their interest in Warner-Amex to Warner Communications (now Time Warner) making Warner the new half-owner of Showtime/TMC. In 1985, Warner sold its half-interest to Viacom, making the company a wholly owned subsidiary of Viacom. In 1988, the company was renamed Showtime Networks Inc.[2]
SNI, along with CBS, The CW Television Network (formerly UPN), Viacom Outdoor, Spelling Television, CBS Television Studios (formerly CBS Productions, Paramount Television and CBS Paramount Television), CBS Television Distribution (formerly Paramount Domestic Television, CBS Paramount Domestic Television and King World), CBS Studios International (formerly CBS Paramount International Television), Simon & Schuster and other entities became part of CBS Corporation when CBS officially split from Viacom in December 2005. SNI managed the CBS, Robert Redford and NBC Universal joint venture Sundance Channel until 2008, when it was sold to Rainbow Media (now AMC Networks).
Cable networks currently owned by SNI
Year in parentheses denotes when each network and channel was brought into the SNI fold.
- Showtime (1983)1
- SHO2 (formerly SHOTOO) (1994)
- Showcase (formerly Showtime 3) (1996)
- Showtime Extreme (1998)
- Showtime Beyond (1998)
- Showtime Next (2001)
- Showtime Family Zone (2001)
- Showtime Women (2001)
- The Movie Channel (1983)2
- The Movie Channel Xtra (1999)
- Flix (1992)3
- Smithsonian Channel (2007)4
1Showtime Women, Showtime Family Zone and Showtime Next are digital cable services of Showtime and are not available on Dish Network. DirecTV does carry Showtime Women and Showtime Next in HD only.
2Channel created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment prior to 1983.
3Flix is only available to DirecTV and other satellite systems. Flix was formerly carried on cable systems (as a premium service) in the early and mid 1990s. Flix is now considered a specialty premium service to satellite customers who subscribe to Showtime Unlimited. There are still cable providers that do carry Flix as a premium service with Showtime.
4Co-owned with the Smithsonian Institution. Showtime Networks handles operations.
SNI won a Peabody Award in 2002 for Bang Bang You're Dead.[3] In 2008, SNI was honored at the 59th Annual Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Advanced Media Technology for Best Use of Commercial Advertising on Personal Computer for the companion website to the series The L Word.