The channel is owned by Showtime Networks, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation.

In 1983, Viacom and Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment merged Showtime and The Movie Channel to form Showtime / The Movie Channel, Inc. ( later Showtime Networks, Inc .).

The original Viacom was renamed CBS Corporation and got the broadcasting elements, Paramount Television's production operations ( renamed CBS Paramount Television, now two separate arms, CBS Television Studios for production and CBS Television Distribution for syndicated program distribution ), Viacom Outdoor advertising ( renamed CBS Outdoor ), Showtime Networks, Simon & Schuster and Paramount Parks, which the company later sold, while the new Viacom kept Paramount Pictures, MTV Networks, BET Networks, and ( until it was sold off in 2007 ) Famous Music.

In December 2006, Showtime announced a deal to broadcast mixed martial arts matches from the then-newly formed Elite Xtreme Combat ( or EliteXC ), an MMA organization formed by Showtime Networks and ProElite, Inc., with all events broadcast under the banner ShoXC ; the league folded two years later in 2008.

* Showtime Networks

Cinemax launched on August 1, 1980 as HBO's answer to The Movie Channel ( at the time, The Movie Channel was owned by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, a joint venture between Time Warner predecessor Warner Communications and American Express ; that channel is now owned by CBS Corporation through its Showtime Networks unit ).

The design division is currently headed by Creative Director Katherine Burke, with the group having worked with numerous corporate clients, including NBC, Showtime, and USA Networks.

Leisha Hailey ( born July 11, 1971 ) is an American actress and musician most widely known for playing Alice Pieszecki in the Showtime Networks production The L Word.

Flix is an American premium television network that is owned by CBS Corporation subsidiary Showtime Networks, Inc., which also runs Showtime and The Movie Channel.

Viacom executives insisted TCI lifted part of the plan from Showtime Networks, Inc. Then-Encore president John Sie said in an 1991 interview with Multichannel News that TCI brought up the concept of the Encore network as a way to revitalize Showtime, either by launching a new service from scratch or overhauling the format of Showtime sister network The Movie Channel.

The Movie Channel ( TMC ) is an American premium channel owned by Showtime Networks, Inc., a subsidiary of CBS Corporation, which shows mostly movies, as well as special behind-the-scenes features, softcore adult erotica and movie trivia.

In 1983, Warner-Amex merged The Movie Channel with Viacom's Showtime to form Showtime / The Movie Channel, Inc. ( which would become Showtime Networks, Inc. in 1988 ).

The Movie Channel was originally a separate channel from the remainder of the Showtime Networks family.

Around the end of the 1990s and early 2000s, Showtime began offering all of its channels as part of the Showtime Unlimited package and many cable systems, with the exception of Comcast, along with satellite providers DirecTV and Dish Network stopped advertising The Movie Channel as a separate network from Showtime and since Showtime Networks are only available on digital cable, many cable systems will not offer The Movie Channel to non-Showtime subscribers.

Fickman also worked on the musical Reefer Madness, a parody of the anti-marijuana propaganda film of the same name which was turned into a feature film on Showtime.

Recently, he has also been seen in the Showtime comedy-drama Dead Like Me as Rube Sofer.

Bogdanovich is also frequently featured in introductions to movies on Criterion Collection DVDs, and has had a supporting role as a fictional version of himself in the Showtime comedy series Out of Order.

She also appears as a guest star in the Showtime cable television show Weeds as the marijuana supplier for the show's main character ( Mary-Louise Parker ).

He also appeared in the PBS drama American Family and in the Showtime series Resurrection Blvd ..

Showtime had also launched several channels exclusively for digital cable: Showtime Family Zone, Showtime Next, and Showtime Women.

This logo was also used on Showtime Australia until 2009.

Showtime also became one of the first cable TV networks to broadcast an HDTV version of its channel, along with Dolby Digital 5. 1 surround sound.

Showtime also packages the Eastern and Pacific feeds of the main channel and its multiplex services together, giving viewers a second chance to watch the same movie / program three hours earlier or later — depending on their geographic location.

As of 2011, Showtime holds first-run premium cable rights to films from Summit Entertainment, The Weinstein Company, Miramax Films ( also including rights to Dimension Films releases ), DreamWorks Pictures ( live-action releases through Touchstone Pictures only ), CBS Films, First Look Pictures, IFC Films ( rights are shared with Starz ), THINKFilm and Anchor Bay Entertainment.

Starting in July 2012, Showtime will also hold sub-run rights to films from Universal Studios.

After being acquired by Viacom in 1994, Paramount Pictures began a 10-year output deal with Showtime ( then also owned by Viacom ), effective after 1997, after Paramount's contract with HBO expired.

Showtime has also agreements with IFC Films ( which it shares broadcasting rights with Starz ), ThinkFilm, certain films put out by The Weinstein Company ( those that are distributed theatrically in conjunction with MGM Studios ), and the newly re-formed United Artists ( still a subsidiary of MGM ).

This deal also allows Showtime first-choice to renew their contract when the initial tenure lapses.

Showtime also inked a pay-cable output deal with CBS Films, which is also owned by the network's parent company CBS Corporation.

Usually films to which Showtime has pay-cable rights will also run on The Movie Channel and Flix during its time of license.

In addition to broadcasting big-ticket Strikeforce events on Showtime, it also announced it would produce ShoMMA: Strikeforce Challengers, an event series highlighting up-and-coming fighters.

Showtime also operates Showtime PPV, formerly SET ( Showtime Entertainment Television ), which broadcasts boxing matches and other select event programming to pay-per-view subscribers.

Though not owning the broadcasting rights to show first-run movies from 20th Century Fox, Showtime has been able to show independent films the studio owns the home video rights to, even if they did not release them theatrically, most notably being Mel Gibson's 2004 film, The Passion of the Christ.

Alongside CBS Television Studios, it serves as a television production arm of The CW Television Network ( in which Time Warner has a 50 % ownership stake ), though it also produces shows for other networks, such as Shameless on Showtime and The Closer on TNT ( though Time Warner owns TNT ).

As a premium channel, The Disney Channel would air week-long free previews four times a year, as well as two free preview weekends periodically ( with ads targeted to non-subscribers ), in the same manner as other premium channels such as HBO, Cinemax and Showtime.

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

In the early 2000s, Showtime launched several additional multiplex channels including Showtime 2 ( formerly Showtime Too ), Showcase ( formerly Showtime 3 ), Showtime Beyond and Showtime Extreme.

Showtime operates eight multiplex channels and a video on demand service ( Showtime On Demand ).

Three of its multiplex channels, Showtime Family Zone, Showtime Next and Showtime Women, are not as widely distributed by most pay television providers in comparison to the rest of the Showtime multiplex, with availability of any of the three channels on most cable providers varying depending on market ; Dish Network does not carry any of the three channels, while DirecTV does not carry Showtime Family Zone.

PBS and the cable network Showtime aired a taping of the production, and Newman was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie.

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.

After being merged with WASEC's The Movie Channel, Paramount Pictures ( then owned by Gulf + Western ) signed an exclusive first-run deal with the newly formed Showtime / The Movie Channel for 75 films for the next five years.

On April 1, 2010 the remaining Showtime multiplex channels, Showtime Beyond, Showtime Extreme, Showtime Family Zone, Showtime Next and Showtime Women ( as well as The Movie Channel, The Movie Channel Xtra and Flix ) began using on-screen logo bugs during all of their programming.