Showtime Australia

showtime premiere
Launched	3 March 1995
Closed	31 December 2012
Owned by	the Premium Movie Partnership (PMP)/Foxtel
Picture format	576i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV)
Country	Australia
Language	English
Formerly called	Showtime (prior to 15 November 2009)
Replaced by	Foxtel Movies
Sister channel(s)	Showcase Showtime Action Showtime Comedy Showtime Drama Showtime Greats
Timeshift service	showtime two
Availability (at time of closure)
Satellite
Foxtel	Channel 219 (premiere HD) Channel 220 (showcase HD) Channel 221 (action HD) Channel 401 (premiere) Channel 402 (two) Channel 403 (showcase) Channel 406 (action) Channel 407 (comedy) Channel 408 (drama)
Austar	Channel 219 (premiere HD) Channel 220 (showcase HD) Channel 221 (action HD) Channel 401 (premiere) Channel 402 (two) Channel 403 (showcase) Channel 406 (action) Channel 407 (comedy) Channel 408 (drama)
Cable
Foxtel	Channel 219 (premiere HD) Channel 220 (showcase HD) Channel 221 (action HD) Channel 401 (premiere) Channel 402 (two) Channel 219 (HD) Channel 403 (showcase) Channel 406 (action) Channel 407 (comedy) Channel 408 (drama)
Austar	Channel 219 (premiere HD) Channel 220 (showcase HD) Channel 221 (action HD) Channel 401 (premiere) Channel 402 (two) Channel 219 (HD) Channel 403 (showcase) Channel 406 (action) Channel 407 (comedy) Channel 408 (drama)
Optus	Channel 401 (premiere) Channel 402 (two)
IPTV
Xbox 360	Channel 401 (premiere) Channel 403 (showcase)
Telstra T-Box	Channel 401 (premiere) Channel 403 (showcase)

Showtime Movie Channels was an Australian pay-TV movie service, available on the Foxtel, Optus and Austar TV platforms. The service consisted of five original channels (showtime premiere, showcase, showtime action, showtime comedy, showtime drama), three HD simulcasts (showtime premiere HD, showcase HD, showtime action HD) and two timeshift channels (showtime two, showcase two). It was owned and operated by the Premium Movie Partnership (PMP), a joint venture in which Sony Pictures Entertainment, NBCUniversal, Viacom, News Corporation and Liberty Global had equal shares. Foxtel took over managing and producing the Showtime channels as of 31 October 2012, with it purchasing assets of the PMP. On 9 December 2012, it was announced that Movie Network and Showtime (with the exception of Showcase) would be replaced with a new line-up of Foxtel branded movie channels to be named Foxtel Movies

The main competitor to Showtime is Movie Network Channels.

Formed in late 1994 through a joint partnership between Australis Media, Columbia TriStar, MCA, Viacom and Tele-Communications Inc., Showtime started broadcasting in 1995 as part of the basic package on the now-defunct Galaxy service, showing first-run films. At the same time its sister channel named Encore was launched, showing older 'classic' movies. Until their launch in March 1995, trailers and previews were broadcast in their channel slots. Both channels were originally programmed in Burbank, California, until local operations commenced in October 1995. It later became available as part of the Austar and Foxtel services when they were launched. In December 2002, the Showtime channels also became available on Optus Television. Encore was renamed Showtime Greats on 1 March 2004, with a move to more contemporary films.