Satellite television | |
Industry | Telecommunication |
Fate | Merged with Showtime Arabia into Orbit Showtime |
Founded | 1994 |
Defunct | 2009 |
Headquarters | Manama, Bahrain |
Products | Direct broadcast satellite and Satellite Internet |
Owner | Privately owned by Mawarid Holding [via Digital Media Systems] |
Website | Official Site |
Orbit Communications Company was a privately owned Pay TV network, operating in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. Owned by Saudi Arabia-based Mawarid Holding (via Digital Media Systems), it was the first fully digital, multi-channel, multi-lingual, pay television service in the Middle East and North Africa and was also the world's first fully digital TV network. Orbit broadcast in several languages around the world including English, Arabic and Filipino. On 12 July 2009 the company announced its merger with Showtime Arabia into Orbit Showtime.
Some of Orbit's Arabic channels including Al Safwa, Fann, Al Yawm, Cinema 1, Cinema 2, Mousalsalat and Mousalsalat +4 are available throughout North and South America through myTV (Arabic).
Orbit had launched 4 multi-function interactive decoders:
This allowed the following features:
On 1 April 2008, after being on the air since 1994,Orbit ESPN disappeared from the Orbit lineup. This left Orbit without coverage of the NCAA, Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, the National Football League, NASCAR, major golf and tennis tournaments, and the premier action sports franchise in the world, ESPN's X Games.