Alpha Digital Synthesis
IndustryTelecommunication
FoundedApril 1999
Headquarters
Athens
,
Greece
Area served
Greece
Key people
Stathis Tsotsoros (Chief executive officer)
ProductsSatellite television
Number of employees
220

Alpha Digital is a Greek former digital satellite pay TV platform owned by Alpha Digital Synthesis SA. Commissioned by Alpha TV and executive director Stathis Tsotsoros,[1] the platform was launched on October 29, 2001[2] and shut down around a year later, September 11, 2002, due to financial difficulties and a low number of 40.000 subscribers.[3] It was also funded by the Alexander S. Onassis Foundation.[4][1]

History

In 1999, Alpha TV was considering a co-operation with ERT and OTE to launch a digital platform. Despite such plans being approved by the management boards of the said companies in March 2000,[5] they were abandoned in September of the same year, as soon as OTE, which had soft launched a package of channels on Hot Bird,[6] left the project;[7][8] the said package would continue transmitting, featuring international themed channels, which were gradually replaced with Greek local ones.[9]

Alpha Digital Synthesis was founded in April 1999.[10][1] On November 28, 2000, broadcast licenses were first given to Alpha Digital Synthesis, regarding the then-upcoming platform, for its featured stations be later transmitted through satellites Eutelsat 16B and Hot Bird 1.[11][12] Conditional access system Viaccess PC2.4 was used by Sagem, in manufacturing the decoders. In early 2001, Alpha Digital Synthesis would first launch on Hot Bird test cards for its then-upcoming original channels, plus the free-to-air channels Alpha TV, Polis and Vouli Tileorasi, as well as the radio stations Alpha News (now Alpha 98.9), Polis 88.6 FM (now Kids Radio 88.6), Alpha Sports 107.4 FM (now Music 89.2) and Gold 103.3 (now Sport24 Radio).[13]

Prior its launch, football clubs would be offered 24 billion drachmas in total, to abandon rival platform Nova in favor of Alpha Digital.[14][15] As a result, P.A.O.K., Panathinaikos, Panachaiki, Panionios, Proodeftiki, PAS Giannina, A.E.K., Olympiacos, Aris, Xanthi, Ethnikos Asteras, Kavala, Panserraikos, Kassandra, Olympiacos Volos, Fostiras, Panegialios, Atromitos and Apollon Pontou signed up 3-to-5 year contracts.[16][17] NetMed, the parent firm of NOVA, would initially accuse Alpha Digital Synthesis of lying to its viewers, claiming that the contracts made with NOVA hadn't expired yet.[18][19] AEK on the other hand, sued NetMed because of the terms of the agreement made between the two in summer 2001, which the football club itself decided to cancel.[20][21] Following the closure of the platform, the latter four clubs were sued by Alpha TV, regarding the agreements made.[22]

The platform started operating commercially on December 1, 2001. In four months, it surpassed a total of 35.000 subscribers.[23] One of the channels featured, PAOK Channel, which would operate daily from 5pm,[24] was the first Greek Football Club channel. Alpha TV bought the rights to Nickelodeon cartoons, to be broadcast on a block on Alpha Cinema 1,[25] which would later become a 12-hour station on its own;[26] sister stations Alpha TV[27] and Channel 9 would later also broadcast these cartoons, thus gaining popularity in the latter. The European feeds of MTV and VH1 were added on the platform on July 1, 2002.[28] Nine days later, a party was held on the New York Summer Club, over the Peace and Friendship Stadium, celebrating that addition.[29]

After the closure of the platform, subscribers would be offered by the owner company to become NOVA subscribers, by distributing free software for installation on the Alpha Digital decoders. 220 employees were fired and also got a refund, with a few others attending Alpha TV's radio counterpart.[30] All of Alpha Digital's channels had stopped transmitting on October 9, 2002.[31] Shareholders of Alpha Digital would become shareholders of NetMed.[32] There was also the prospect of Alpha Digital Synthesis (which was now managed by the Onassis Foundation, as a result of an agreement in exchange for its departure from the channel's owner)[1] merging with NetMed.[30] The decision of the Competition Committee on Alpha Digital and NetMed NV's shareholding co-operation was delayed by two hours and consequently, the latter denied any co-operation with Alpha Digital.[33][1] The National Television Council recalled the broadcasting license on October 22, 2002.[1]

In August 2008, prosecution to the degree of felony was done by the Public Prosecutor's Office of First Instance Court, following an order by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Appeals, against Dimitris Kontominas and other people sued by Stathis Tsotsoros, regarding the case of transfer of 25% shares from the Onassis Foundation to George Psarras, a close partner of Dimitris Kontominas.[34][1] The losses from Alpha Digital Synthesis's involvement in pay-TV were estimated to be in 2008, about €185 million, along with liabilities of €26 million.[1]

Channels

Original channels that were expected to broadcast included Alpha Life, Alpha News, Alpha Classic, Alpha Documentaries and Alpha Cinema 2.[35]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "ΑΠΟ ΤΟ ΜΠΟΥΚΕΤΟ ΤΗΣ ALPHA DIGITAL ΣΤΙΣ ΖΗΜΙΕΣ ΤΩΝ 185 ΕΚΑΤ. ΕΥΡΩ". Typologies (in Greek). To Paron. September 7, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Στα 31 δισ. το project της Alpha Digital Synthesis". Naftemporiki.gr (in Greek). October 25, 2001. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Untitled". Alpha Digital Synthesis (in Greek). Archived from the original on September 26, 2002. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Alpha Digital: Ποιος πληρώνει το μάρμαρο;". Kathimerini (in Greek). September 22, 2002. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Συμφωνία ΟΤΕ - ΕΡΤ - ΑLPHA". Rizospastis (in Greek). April 3, 2000. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Lyngemark Satellite Chart". Lyngemark. August 22, 2000. Archived from the original on August 23, 2000. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Τηλεοπτικά και οικονομικά ... ισχυροί". Rizospastis (in Greek). October 4, 2000. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Στα "παράθυρα" η Ελλάδα... αναστενάζει". Rizospastis (in Greek). January 6, 2001. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Hot Bird 1/2/3/4/6 at 13.0°E". Lyngemark. August 11, 2005. Archived from the original on August 13, 2005. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  10. ↑ "ΦΕΚ ΑΕ-ΕΠΕ 2192" (in Greek). Government Gazette. April 26, 1999. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Ο ALPHA στο δρόμο της ψηφιακής". Rizospastis (in Greek). November 30, 2000. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  12. ↑ "ALPHA Digital Synthesis". Alpha Digital Synthesis (in Greek). Archived from the original on January 18, 2002. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Hot Bird 1-5 at 13.0°E". Lyngemark. April 13, 2001. Archived from the original on April 13, 2001. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Επιστροφή Στη Λογική Της Alpha Digital". Typologies (in Greek). October 6, 2014. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  15. ↑ Karakousi, Roula; Diamanti, Ifigeneia (September 15, 2002). "H "φούσκα" της συνδρομητικής". Kathimerini (in Greek). Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Σε κανάλι συγχώνευσης". Καθημερινή. September 7, 2002. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  17. ↑ "ΤΕΣΣΕΡΑ ΨΕΜΑΤΑ ΚΑΙ ΜΙΑ ΑΠΟΡΙΑ". NOVA (in Greek). February 21, 2002. Archived from the original on October 18, 2002. Retrieved August 30, 2019. [...]στις περιπτώσεις της Παναχαϊκής και του Πανσεραϊκού[...]
  18. ↑ "Ανοιχτές "κόντρες" για την ψηφιακή". Rizospastis (in Greek). October 31, 2001. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  19. ↑ "ΔΕΛΤΙΟ ΤΥΠΟΥ". NOVA (in Greek). June 7, 2002. Archived from the original on December 30, 2002. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Με θάρρος στη μάχη". Rizospastis (in Greek). February 21, 2002. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Συμφωνία της ΑΕΚ με τον τηλεοπτικό σταθμό Alpha Digital". in.gr (in Greek). October 12, 2001. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Μεγάλο το αδιέξοδο στο ελληνικό ποδόσφαιρο μετά και την ανακοίνωση του ΑLPHA Digital". in.gr (in Greek). September 11, 2002. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  23. ↑ "Company profile". Alpha Digital Synthesis. Archived from the original on August 6, 2002. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  24. ↑ "ΠΑΟΚ CHANNEL". Alpha Ψηφιακή Σύνθεσις (in Greek). Archived from the original on August 6, 2002. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  25. ↑ "ΠΑΡΑΣΚΕΥΗ 01/02/02". alpha-digital.gr (in Greek). Archived from the original on February 12, 2002. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  26. ↑ "nickelodeon". alpha-digital.gr (in Greek). Archived from the original on June 3, 2002. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Προγράμματα". Rizospastis (in Greek). December 8, 2002. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  28. ↑ "News". Alpha Digital Synthesis (in Greek). June 27, 2002. Archived from the original on September 11, 2002. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  29. ↑ "News". Alpha Digital Synthesis (in Greek). Archived from the original on August 6, 2002. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  30. 1 2 ""Λύση" και ... απολύσεις". Rizospastis (in Greek). September 13, 2002. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  31. ↑ "Παιχνίδια σε βάρος των συνδρομητών". Rizospastis (in Greek). November 6, 2002. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  32. ↑ "Από τη "λύση" στη... συμφωνία". Rizospastis (in Greek). September 12, 2002. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  33. ↑ ""Συνδρομητές" χωρίς... πρόγραμμα". Rizospastis (in Greek). October 26, 2002. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  34. ↑ "Ρεπορτάζ". Rizospastis (in Greek). August 23, 2008. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  35. ↑ Kingofsat - Νεκροταφείο Καναλιών
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