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Type of site | Pay TV |
|---|---|
| Available in | Italian |
| Area served |  Italy |
| Founder | Mediaset |
| Editor | Mediaset Premium S.p.A. |
| Products | TV programs |
| Parent | Mediaset |
| URL | www |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Launched | January 20, 2005; 20 years ago (2005-01-20) |
| Current status | Closed down June 2019 |
Mediaset Premium was an Italianpay TVprovider owned byMediaset. Until closure in 2019, it provided subscriptionTV channels andpay-per-view events (only for football matches) via theItalian digital terrestrial television network through the use of asmart card as well asvideo-on-demand services through its "Premium Play" and "Premium Online"streaming service.
Mediaset Premium was launched on January 20, 2005, initially offering only pay-per-view services for movies and sports. The first broadcast was held on January 22: a Serie A match between Inter and Chievo. Two weeks ahead of launch, almost all of the 280,000 smart cards were sold.[1] However, one week ahead of its start, 17 decoder models did not display its signals.[2] From June 2005, it also began offering pay-per-view TV shows, movies and broadcasts ofGrande Fratello. Most American series premiered there before airing on Mediaset's terrestrial networks, particularly Italia 1, and most of the titles were fromWarner Bros. Television.[3]
On January 19, 2008, it became a full pay-TV platform, launching the "Premium Gallery" package, available, with a package for football matches, through monthly subscription or prepaid. For this end, three channels were launched: Joi, Mya and Steel (this last one launched in association withNBCUniversal, who offered its package of dubbed series).[4]
Over time, new packages and new channels enrich the offer.
The first addition following the launch of the in-house channels wasDisney Channel on July 1, 2008, already available on Sky packages.[5] On December 8, a new package with children's channels was introduced, Premium Fantasy. This included Disney Channel, already on Premium Gallery, new entrants Playhouse Disney and Cartoon Network, and a new in-house channel, Hiro, specialized in anime.[6]
In 2015, the new offering provides channels of movies, TV series, sport, documentaries, cartoons and interactive servicesPremium Play andPremium Online. From 2016, Premium will also broadcast on satellite TV. In October 2016,Disney Junior andDisney Channel ceased broadcasting, only remaining available on Sky.
Until 2018, with its parent, it held exclusive rights to theUEFA Champions League in Italy. It also owns the sports rights, in addition to theSerie A, of foreign tournaments such asLigue 1 and theCoupe de France, theScottish Premiership, and also theNFL ofAmerican football. BothEurosport 1 andEurosport 2 were also offered.
On 1 June 2018,Cartoon Network, Mediaset Premium's last kids' channel, ceased broadcasting, with the channel remaining available onSky Italia.
In 2016Vivendi agreed to buy 100% stake of Mediaset Premium and 3.5% stake ofMediaset by selling 3.5% stake of Vivendi's shares.[7] However, after inspecting the financial statements as well as income forecast, Vivendi did not wish to enforce the original terms but submitting a revised offer to buy 20% stake in Mediaset Premium, as well as buying convertible bonds of Mediaset Premium.[8]Fininvest, the majority owner of Mediaset, had chosen to start legal action to Vivendi.[9]
In 2018, its offer was restructured to enable the entrance ofSky channels. The Sky TV package included Sky Uno, Sky Atlantic, FOX, National Geographic and Sky TG24 from Sky's behalf, and eight Mediaset film and TV series channels: Premium Action, Premium Crime, Premium Joi, Premium Stories, Premium Cinema, Premium Cinema Energy, Premium Cinema Emotion and Premium Cinema Comedy. The Sky Sport package featured two channels, Sky Sport 24 and Sky Sport 1 (the only sports channel in HD on the DTT offer).[10]
The service was closed down in June 2019. Subscribers were allowed to rescind from the platform during the month of May, free of charge.[11] From June 1, its channels were made available onMediaset Infinity, its streaming service.[12] The remaining Mediaset Premium channels that remained on Sky were shut down on January 10, 2022.[13]
The offer was divided into packages, available in prepaid or through monthly subscriptions.
| Package | Channel number | Channel | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service channels | 300 | Premium Menu | service |
| 301 | Premium Play | service | |
| Sky | 311, 456 | Sky Uno | entertainment |
| 312, 457 | Sky Atlantic | TV series | |
| 313, 458 | Fox | TV series | |
| 314, 459 | National Geographic | documentaries | |
| 468 | Sky Sport Uno | sports | |
| 469 | Sky Sport 24 | sports news | |
| 470 | Sky Sport Uno HD | sports (HDTV) | |
| Series & Docs | 316, 460 | Premium Action | TV series |
| 317, 461 | Premium Crime | TV series | |
| 318, 462 | Premium Joi | TV series | |
| 319, 463 | Premium Stories | TV series | |
| 320 | Investigation Discovery | documentaries | |
| Cinema | 330, 464 | Premium Cinema | blockbuster movies |
| 331, 465 | Premium Cinema Energy | action/crime movies | |
| 332, 466 | Premium Cinema Emotion | drama movies | |
| 333, 467 | Premium Cinema Comedy | comedy movies | |
| 334 | Studio Universal | classic/noir movies | |
| Sports & Football | 372 | Eurosport 1 | sports 24h |
| 373 | Eurosport 2 | sports 24h | |
| Service channels | 399 | Premium Online | service |
Premium Play was a streaming service onPC,iPad,Android,Xbox One,Xbox 360 andSamsung Smart TV,Windows for subscription customers in conjunction with the TV packages.
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