Mediaset Premium is an Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 digital terrestrial television

Digital terrestrial television

Digital terrestrial television is the technological evolution of broadcast television and advance from analog television, which broadcasts land-based signals...

 service provided by Mediaset

Mediaset

Mediaset S.p.A., known as Gruppo Mediaset in Italian, is an Italian-based media company which is the largest commercial broadcaster in the country...

. It provides pay tv

Pay TV

Pay television, premium television, or premium channels refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by both analog and digital cable and satellite, but also increasingly via digital terrestrial and internet television...

 and pay-per-view

Pay-per-view

Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...

 (only for football matches) services through use of a smart card

Smart card

A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card , is any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits. A smart card or microprocessor cards contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but sometimes acrylonitrile...

.

History

Mediaset Premium was launched on January 20, 2005, initially offering only pay-per-view

Pay-per-view

Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...

 services, for films and football matches.

In January 2008, it became a real pay-tv, launching the package "Premium Gallery", available, with a package for football matches, through monthly subscription or prepaid mode. Over time, new packages and new channels enrich the offered, including presently 25 channels.

Packages

The offer is currently divided into 3 main packages plus 2 optional available in prepaid mode or through monthly subscriptions.

Premium Cinema Serie & Doc

Premium Cinema Serie & Doc offers viewers movie, TV series, documentary and including kids channels.

The channels are, for:

• Movie: Premium Cinema, Premium Cinema Emotion, Premium Cinema Energy, Premium Cinema Comedy (from July 2011), Studio Universal Premium
  Studio Universal
  Studio Universal is a specialty television channel focused on films, owned by Universal Networks International. The programming is based on films and related programs with interviews, insights, short films and frequent themed nights or seasons in which are shown a number of films centred around...
  
  , Premium Cinema HD.

• Serie: Premium Joi
  Joi (TV channel)
  Joi is an Italian Entertainment TV channel, owned by Mediaset and broadcast on Premium Gallery, a Digital terrestrial television service in Italy. It is devoted to Family entertainment and broadcasts Movie and TV Series...
  
  , Premium Mya
  Mya (TV channel)
  Mya is an Italian Entertainment TV channel, owned by Mediaset and broadcasted on Premium Gallery, a pay television network available on Digital terrestrial television in Italy...
  
  , Premium Steel
  Steel (TV channel)
  Steel is an Italian entertainment TV channel, owned by NBC Universal and broadcast on Premium Gallery, a Digital terrestrial television service in Italy...
  
  , Premium Crime (from July 2011).

• Kids: Disney Channel Premium (with its version +1).

• Doc: Discovery World Premium
  Discovery World (TV channel)
  Discovery World is a European television network known as Discovery Civilisation from 1999 - 2008. Discovery World offers an experience of the very best factual programming from around the globe. Discovery World showcases a rich and colourful selection of high quality factual programmes from around...
  
   and BBC Knowledge Premium
  BBC Knowledge (Worldwide)
  BBC Knowledge is an international television channel showcasing factual and non-fiction entertainment programming from the BBC and independent UK production houses. Wholly owned by BBC Worldwide, it is not related to the previous channel known as BBC Knowledge, an early digital channel which closed...
  
   (both from March 2011).

Premium Calcio

The package includes the channels: Premium Calcio, Premium Calcio (from 1 to 6), Premium Calcio HD1 and HD2. The channels transmits most of Serie A

Serie A

Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...

 e Serie B

Serie B

Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...

 matches and all matches of UEFA Champions League

UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...

, UEFA Europa League and FIFA Club World Cup

FIFA Club World Cup

The FIFA Club World Cup is a football competition between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations.The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000...

. They are dedicated to information and programs with insight into the world of football. All matches are available also through pay-per-view

Pay-per-view

Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...

 services.

Premium Bambini

Premium Bambini offers programming for children and teens with four channels: Disney Channel Premium (with his version +1), Disney Junior Premium

Disney Junior

Disney Junior is a current program block on Disney Channel and an upcoming American basic cable and satellite television network intended to replace SOAPnet in February 2012. It began airing on February 14, 2011, replacing Playhouse Disney....

 and Cartoon Network Premium

Cartoon Network (Italy)

Cartoon Network is an entertainment television channel created by Turner Broadcasting System Europe, a unit of Time Warner which primarily shows animated programming...

.

Premium Reality

Premium Reality is one optional package that with the channels Premium Extra 1 and 2 offers the Italian version of Big Brother and others Italian reality shows.

Premium Week-end Moto GP

Premium Week-end Moto GP is one optional package that with the channel Premium Moto GP offers all races of Grand Prix motorcycle racing

Grand Prix motorcycle racing

Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix is the premier championship of motorcycle road racing currently divided into three distinct classes: 125cc, Moto2 and MotoGP. The 125cc class uses a two-stroke engine while Moto2 and MotoGP use four-stroke engines. In 2010 the 250cc two-stroke was replaced...

.

External links

• Official website