Orbit Showtime Network

Emirati direct-broadcast satellite provider

25°5′49″N 55°9′26″E / 25.09694°N 55.15722°E / 25.09694; 55.15722

OSN

Company type	Private
Industry	Television broadcasting Streaming TV
Founded	12 October 2009; 14 years ago (2009-10-12)
Headquarters	Dubai Media City, Dubai
Area served	Middle East and North Africa
Key people	Sheikha Dana Nasser Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah (Chairwoman, Panther Media Group Limited) Joe Kawkabani (CEO, OSN)
Products	Direct-broadcast satellite
Owner	KIPCO (60.5%) Mawarid Holding (30.5%)^[1]
Parent	Panther Media Group Ltd
Website	www.osn.com

Orbit Showtime Network, commonly known as OSN, is a Dubai-based satellite TV company, serving the Middle East and North Africa region. OSN mainly broadcasts programming from TV networks owned by Paramount Global, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures, DreamWorks and the BBC; as well as regional, mostly Arabic, Turkish, and Pinoy content.

OSN has introduced several technologies and services to the region since 2012, like the DVR, an online TV platform,^[2] 3D HD, and internet-enabled satellite receivers,^[3]^[4] since it was founded in 2009.

History

Top: first logo (2009–2013), bottom: second logo (2013–2020).

OSN was formed in 2009 by the merger of the two largest subscription TV networks in the region, namely Orbit (a member of Riyadh-based Mawarid Holding which included the formerly separate ART network), and Showtime Arabia, a joint venture between CBS Corporation and Kuwait-based KIPCO.^[5] The merger of KIPCO and Mawared resulted in a new holding company; Panther Media Group, with its headquarters in the Dubai International Financial Centre.^[6]

Showtime Arabia continued its growth in the region by adding a range of new channels and services, such as the Showbox DVR System in 2005, allowing subscribers to record different programmes. In August 2007, Showtime Arabia expanded its video-on-demand service.^[7]

On the other hand, Bahrain-based Orbit was the first pay TV service in the Middle East; due to the challenging environment, it was driven to consolidate with the larger Showtime to better compete with popular free-to-air satellite television.^[8]

Gallery

Discontinued logo OSN Movies
Kidzone
Technology of OSN News
2020 logo of OSN News

References

^ "Kuwait's KIPCO hires Rothschild to advise TV arm IPO". Reuters. Kuwait: Thomson Reuters. June 22, 2013. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016.
^ "OSN Play". OSN. Archived from the original on 2012-07-21. Retrieved 2012-07-19.
^ "OSN launches Plus HD". mediaME. 17 September 2012. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
^ "OSN goes hybrid with new PVR". BroadcastPro Middle East. 5 November 2012. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
^ Birkinbine, B.; Gomez, R.; Wasko, J. (2016). Global Media Giants. Taylor & Francis. p. 282. ISBN 978-1-317-40286-2. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
^ "About OSN". OSN.
^ Akerman, Iain (July 30, 2007). "Showtime introduces video on demand to the Middle East". Campaign. Dubai: Haymarket Media Group Ltd.
^ Parnell, John (April 13, 2008). "Shifting Orbit". Arabian Business. ITP Media Group. We face major issues confronting the spread of piracy in the Middle East… [t]he influx of new free-to-air (FTA) TV operators also challenges our position in regards to advertising spend and convincing consumers to subscribe to pay TV services.