Japan's answer to
HBO, WOWOW is the country's largest
premium satellite TV network, showing Japanese and Western movies,
Champions League and
Serie A soccer, pop music specials, and plenty of
anime. WOWOW has recently started
pay per view and
home shopping channels as well.
WOWOW began analog service in April 1991, broadcasting on BS 5, and now has 2.7 million subscribers on one analog channel and three digital Hi-Vision channels inaugurated in 2000. They also operate two satellite radio channels and a broadband ISP.
WOWOW's headquarters and main studio are in Akasaka, Tokyo. They are listed on the Mothers section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, and capitalized at 11.3 billion yen.