Showtime launches first DVR in region
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 Showtime Arabia, one of three pay-TV networks in the Middle East, has launched the first Digital Video Recorder (DVR) decoder in the region, in an effort to boost competition in the market and revive revenues. Showbox DVR, which incorporates a hard disk and an integrated on-screen TV guide, offers viewers a wide range of services that allows them to control when and which programs they view.
Vida Rizq, the Dubai-based network’s public relations manager, described launching Showbox as “the logical next step for the pay-TV industry in our region. We are sure our competitors will be looking at the opportunities offered by new technologies, although we are not currently aware of any planned services on their part.”
The other pay-TV networks in the region are the Saudi-owned ART, with around 67 percent of the market and the Bahrain-based Orbit with around 16 percent. Showtime Arabia broadcasts some 55 channels with some 175,000 subscribers, according to research Firm Booz Allen Hamilton.
“As with any other pay-TV networks, DVRs have proved that they enhance the subscriber experience as well as drive sales,” Rizq added.
The device is now available to subscribers in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. It will soon be launched in other Gulf markets.
Rizq declined to comment on the revenue forecast for Showbox, but said that the network expects it to support their “growth strategy.” The network said it received 1,000 enquiries for the device before its official launch in mid-February. Although it is not charging a premium for the new DVR system, the network is requiring a refundable box deposit of $408 or $217 if a second subscription is taken up at a cost of $20 per month.
Showtime’s revenues in 2005 were estimated at around $105 million, according to research consultants Booz Allen Hamilton. Showtime Arabia is owned by Gulf DTH, a joint venture between Kuwait investment firm Kipco (79 percent) and Viacom (21 percent), a U.S.-based global media company that also owns shares in CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1 and Paramount Pictures.
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