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Showtime Arabia, Orbit announce TV merger
by This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it on Sunday, 12 July 2009
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Results 1 to 9 of 9
Posted on Wednesday, 15 July 2009
EPL
Posted by Del at 13:05 UAE time
Showtime,
I DO care about EPL; I am an avid fan and the reason I subscribed is because I DON'T want to follow the matches in pubs, bars and shisha places.
What am I supposed to do now?
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Posted on Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Decoder
Posted by AD at 16:12 UAE time
And BTW: Showtime already have the Showbox, a Ti-Vo like recorder that comes free for Platinium subscribers or at a charge for others. You can even see entire TV seasons episodes whenever you want (Show-on-demand).
True about HD though. The region has been way to slow to start implementing it, but at least it started.
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Showtime
Posted by AD at 14:05 UAE time
I'm a Showtime subscriber since 2001 but I took a brake some times ago because of some technical problems but also because they loose certain channels and TV programs to Orbit. I have been hoping for some time that they merge, as it has happened everywhere in Europe. I don't have to sacrifice certain programs when I can see them all in the same package.
It is also not true that Showtime does not offer discounts and loyalty programs. They do, but you have to be a long time subscriber and guess what: Ask and negotiate one! I reconnected the service recently and got the same price I was paying before, which was already discounted, and the prices has increased even further.
I don't care about EPL and the most avid EPL fans follow the matches in Pubs, Bars and Shisha places anyway.
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Posted on Monday, 13 July 2009
Showtime Kuwait - a myriad of problems
Posted by TV Fan at 17:24 UAE time
Orbit has always offered more stable programming, at least in Kuwait. Showtime - which is managed by Global - Kuwait has terrible customer service and hires unwisely, lots of low pay Egyptian workers whose answer to any customer enquiry or complaint is 'take your card to have it checked at Dajeej headquarters'
Showtime Kuwait is abysmal. I cancelled my subs a year ago, because really the transmission wasnt that stable and their decoders were much lower quality than the Orbit ones.
If this new company is to survive in an era when customers alreayd get the latest shows on MBC, Dubai 1 etc - and when young kids download torrents with the latest shows from the states and when piracy is rampant with home deliveries of the latest shows on DVD - then it needs to:
1. Reduce prices considerably (in Kuwait they charge 250KD plus for a premium package - thats like $700 dollars which is rediculous)
2. Offer HD quality television like the US and Sky
3. Offer a top of the line cable box similar to TIVO
4. Improve customer service and put ome kind of 'loyal customer program' (no matter how may years you sub to Showtime they never offer discounts or loyal programs)
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Showtime Arabia, Orbit announce TV merger
Posted by Omar Shamma at 14:53 UAE time
This is not surprising news. Both entities are I suspect facing difficult times. I have never subscribed to any pay TV offering primarily because ALL the content (documentaries, movies, news, sport) are available on free to view channels such as the MBC and Rotana channels, Dubai One, Jazeerah Sports, Dubai Sports, etc. True you have to put up with the advertising, but I find it the same as putting up with the repetitive "trailers and coming attrwactions" advertising of the pay TV networks themselves.
If this new combined pay TV entity is to prosper it has to provide services that the customer wants. For example they could allow subscription to individual channels and not "packages". I personally like to watch National Geographic Channel. However I am not prepared to pay for the whole "package" of channels that includes National Geographic. In the UK I can subscribe to individual channels. I can "mix and match" specifically those channels I want to see, without paying for any I will not watch.
Mr. Marc-Antoine d’Halluin will do well to read "The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More" by Chris Anderson if he is to understand the future of his industry.
"Wake up and smell the market"...its a new world for pay TV.
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Orbit & Showtime HD
Posted by Christian at 10:06 UAE time
Focus on HD and give this at competative prices that we not have to download iligal cards,
HD is the future for the paying customer
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Monopolies are never good
Posted by Original Joe at 07:31 UAE time
So if I am not happy with my Showtime subscription, what other options do I have now that Orbit is combining with Showtime? I guess Showtime can increase prices as they like and we will all just have to pay them.
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Posted on Sunday, 12 July 2009
Good News
Posted by Ahmad at 03:32 UAE time
This will all depend on whether they offer new products or not. Their revenues have been going downhill, so this may be a a merge due to losses rather than the aim to improve the TV sector.
Here's another article I came across:
http://www.techabia.com/2009/07/paytv-orbit-and-showtime-arabia-merge/
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Premiership football?
Posted by Ali at 17:59 UAE time
"Joining forces in this way is good news for customers"
How is it good news? With no serious competition Orbit and Showtime have a virtual monopoly on pay TV in this region.
And still no news from ADMC about the football - they won't be able to get Orbit and Showtime to try and outbid each other now. It'll be interesting to see what they do with it. I don't hold out much hope of them doing a better job than Showtime currently are.
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