Showtime Networks

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Showtime Networks, Inc. (SNI) is the corporate division of media conglomerate CBS Corporation.

The company was established in 1983 after Viacom and Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment 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 making Warner the new half-owner of SNI. In 1985, Warner sold its half-interest in SNI to Viacom, making SNI a wholly owned division of Viacom.

SNI along with CBS, UPN, Viacom Outdoor, Spelling Television, CBS Paramount Television, King World Productions, Simon and Schuster and other entities became part of CBS Corporation when CBS officially split from Viacom in December 2005. SNI manages the CBS, Robert Redford and NBC Universal joint venture Sundance Channel.

Showtime Networks oversees the operation of the following TV network brands:

  • Showtime Women, Showtime Family Zone and Showtime Next are digital cable services of Showtime and are not available on DirecTV and Dish Network.
  • Sundance Channel is part of Showtime Networks and is not necessarily owned but managed by SNI.
  • Flix 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.

In 2008 Showtime Networks 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.


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Showtime Networks, Inc. (a division of CBS Corporation)
Cable Networks: Flix · Showtime · Showtime Beyond · Showtime Extreme · Showtime Family Zone · Showtime Next · Showtime Showcase · Showtime Too · Showtime Women · Smithsonian Networks (co-owned with the Smithsonian Institution) · Sundance Channel (co-owned with Robert Redford and NBC Universal) · The Movie Channel · The Movie Channel Xtra
Website: www.sho.com (USA access only)
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