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 shut 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 and Panasonic products distributor Intertech (the latter two are also owned by Dimitris Kontominas).

History
In, it was announced that 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, they were abandoned in September of the same year, as soon as OTE, which had soft launched a package of channels on Hot Bird, left the project; the said package would continue transmitting, featuring international themed channels, which were gradually replaced with Greek local ones. 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 (original channels and Polis) and. Conditional access system was used by, in manufacturing the decoders. In early, Alpha Digital Synthesis would first launch on Hot Bird test cards for its then-upcoming orginal channels, plus the free-to-air channels Alpha TV, Polis and Vouli Tileorasi, as well as the radio stations Alpha News, Polis 88.6 FM, Alpha Sports 107.4 FM and Gold.

Prior its launch, football clubs 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 parent firm of NOVA, 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 of 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 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. All of Alpha Digital's channels had stopped transmitting on. Shareholders of Alpha Digital would become shareholders of NetMed. 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) merging with NetMed. 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. The National Television Council recalled the broadcasting license on October 22, 2002.

In, 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% from the Onassis Foundation (Nairview Panama and Olympic Shipping and Management Hellas companies) to George Psarras, a close partner of Dimitris Kontominas. It is estimated that Alpha Digital's involvement in pay TV resulted in total losses of €185 million and liabilities of €26 million.

Channels featured

 * Alpha Digital - promo channel Sports 1
 * Alpha Sports 2
 * Alpha Cinema 1
 * Turner Classic Movies
 * CNBC
 * CLUB
 * Avante
 * Spice
 * Private Blue
 * Private Gold
 * Reality
 * Adventure1
 * National Geographic
 * Alpha Kids
 * Cartoon Network
 * MTV
 * VH1
 * Alpha TV
 * Alpha International
 * Polis
 * Channel 5
 * Magna

The following were first included in the platform, but later removed from it:
 * Playboy
 * PAOK Channel
 * Extreme Sports Channel
 * CNN
 * Vouli Tileorasi
 * Athlos
 * Magic TV

The following were proposed, but never broadcasted programming:
 * Alpha Music
 * Alpha Life
 * Alpha Movies
 * Alpha News
 * Alpha Classic
 * Alpha Documentaries
 * Alpha Cinema 2