Showtime is a subscription television brand used by a number of channels and platforms around the world, but primarily refers to a group of channels in the United States.

History

Showtime primarily shows motion pictures as well as some original programming and occasional boxing matches. Showtime, originally a service of Viacom, went on the air on July 1, 1976, first shown on a local cable system in Dublin, California. On March 7, 1978, it expanded to the national market via satellite, competing with HBO. In 1979, Viacom sold 50% of Showtime to TelePrompTer.

In 1982, Westinghouse, who had acquired TelePrompTer the previous year, sold its share of Showtime back to Viacom. In 1983, Viacom and Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment merged Showtime and The Movie Channel to form Showtime Networks, Inc.. 1984 saw the premiere of Showtime's first original movie, The Ratings Game, both starring, and directed by, Danny DeVito. In 1985, Viacom acquired Warner-Amex's cable properties, including their share of Showtime Networks.

In 1990, Showtime ventured into acquiring and premiering independent films directly for the channel, originally as part of its 30-Minute Movie anthology series of short films. One of its first premieres, 12:01 PM, was nominated for an Academy Award. In the years that followed, Showtime expanded its acquisitions into the realm of feature-length fare, including the critically acclaimed remake of Lolita, directed by Adrian Lyne.

In the early 2000s, Showtime launched several additional multiplex channels including Showtime Too (a pun on its previous name, Showtime 2), Showcase (formerly Showtime 3), Showtime Beyond and Showtime Extreme. Showtime had also launched several channels exclusively for digital cable: Showtime Family Zone, Showtime Next, and Showtime Women.

Showtime Networks also owns the channels The Movie Channel, The Movie Channel Xtra and Flix. In addition, it manages Sundance Channel, which is a joint venture of CBS Corporation, Robert Redford and NBC Universal. Each multiplex channel offers movies and programs fitting each channel's particular theme. Premieres of popular movies are usually made on the primary channel.

In 2000, Showtime launched the "Showtime Interactive 24.7" channel—providing DVD-like interaction opportunities to its entertainment offerings.

In the 2000s, Showtime began test marketing a subscription-video-on-demand SVOD system. Now there is a Showtime subscription-video-on-demand channel called Showtime On Demand, which users are able to see episodes of Showtime original series, movies, adult programming and boxing. This channel is only available on digital cable in the US.

Showtime also became one of the first cable TV networks to broadcast an HDTV version of its channel, along with Dolby Digital sound.