Alpha Digital

Alpha Digital is a former digital satellite pay TV platform owned by Alpha Digital Synthesis SA. Commissioned by Alpha TV and executive director Stathis Tsotsoros, the platform was launched on and shat down around a year later,, due to financial difficulties and a low amount of 40.000 subscribers. It was also funded by the Alexander S. Onassis Foundation, insurance company Interamerican, Panasonic products distributor Intertech (also owned by Dimitris Kontominas).

History
On, it was announced that Alpha TV would co-operate with ERT and OTE to launch a digital platform. Such plans were abandoned as soon as OTE left. Alpha Digital Synthesis was founded on. On, frequencies were first licensed to Alpha Digital Synthesis, regarding the then-upcoming platform, to be later transmitted through satellites HotBird 1 and HotBird 4. Conditional access system was used in manufacturing the platform.

Prior its launch, football club would be offered 24 billion euros in total, to abandon rival platform NOVA in favor of Alpha Digital. As a result, PAOK, Panathinaikos, Panachaiki, Panionios, Proodeftiki, PAS Giannina, AEK, Olympiacos, Aris, Xanthi and others from lower leagues signed up 3-to-5 year contracts. Netmed, the subsidiary of Multichoice Hellas, would initially sue the platform, claiming that the contracts made with NOVA hadn't expired yet, and that therefore, Alpha Digital was lying to its subscribers; AEK on the other hand, sued Netmed because of the terms on the agreement made between the two in summer 2001, which the football club itself decided to cancel. Following the closure of the platform, the latter four clubs were sued by Alpha TV, regarding the agreements made.

The platform started operating commercially on. In four months, it surpassed the amount of 35.000 subscribers. One of the channels featured, PAOK Channel, which would operate daily from 5pm, 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, which would later become a 12-hour station on its own; sister station Channel 9 would later also broadcast these cartoons, thus the latter gaining popularity. The European feeds of MTV and VH1 were added on the platform on. Nine days later, a party was held on the New York Summer Club, over the Peace and Friendship Stadium, celebrating that addition.

After the closure of the platform, subscribers would be offered by the owner company, to either become NOVA subscribers, with signal transmitted from the Alpha Digital decoders, or get a refund. 220 employees were fired and also got a refund, with a few others attending Alpha TV's radio counterpart. Alpha Digital stopped transmitting on. Shareholders of Alpha Digital would become shareholders of Netmed.

Channels featured

 * Alpha Digital - promo channel Sports 1
 * Alpha Sports 2
 * Extreme Sports Channel
 * PAOK Channel
 * Alpha Cinema 1
 * Turner Classic Movies
 * CNN
 * CNBC
 * CLUB
 * Avante
 * REALITY
 * Adventure1
 * National Geographic
 * Alpha Kids
 * Cartoon Network
 * MTV
 * VH1
 * Alpha TV
 * Polis


 * Alpha Life
 * Alpha Movies
 * Alpha News