The merger of Showtime and Orbit to create the Mena region’s largest pay-TV operator has paid immediate dividends for subscribers who will have exclusive access to all Hollywood studio content and English Premier League football.

From today evening (July 13) – just 24 hours after the merger was announced - current Showtime and Orbit customers can view additional premium channels for free.

For the first time in the Mena region TV viewers can now watch the latest series of top-rated shows like True Blood, Entreatment, Prison Break, Ugly Betty, Heroes and Lost, and blockbuster movies such as Quantum of Solace, Taken, 7 Pounds, Sex And The City:  The Movie and The Golden Compass plus Premiership football through a single pay-TV platform, said a top official.

Orbit viewers will have immediate access to five premium Showtime channels including Showmovies 1, Showseries, Showcomedy, Showsports 3 and E! Entertainment, while Showtime viewers will be able to watch Super Movies, America Plus and Super Comedy from the Orbit bouquet.

The bonus channels are for an initial free promotional period until the newly merged platform announces its new channel packages, said Marc-Antoine d’Halluin, CEO of the newly merged pay-TV platform.

“We promised maximum entertainment, great value for money and simplicity of choice for TV viewers across the region. By taking immediate steps to give current Showtime and Orbit viewers not only the best but everything that Hollywood has to offer, this should leave viewers in no doubt that the merger is good news for them,” d'Halluin commented.

In addition to providing every single Hollywood release on Showmovies 1 and Super Movies, subscribers also benefit from an unmatched selection of dramas and series including XXXX on Showseries, Showcomedy, Super Comedy and America Plus.

They can also catch the latest Hollywood gossip on E! Entertainment, he pointed out.

Current Orbit subscribers will also receive live and exclusive English Premier League coverage on  Showsports 3 when the new season kicks-off on August 15.  Showtime will be showing every single match live and exclusive during the 2009-10 season.

All Orbit and Showtime channels with be added to the Electronic Programme Guide in the near future to allow subscribers to schedule their viewing, while the Orbit and Showtime websites will features programme listings and highlights across all 70 plus channels available on the network, he added.-TradeArabia News Service