Conspiracists see clues to the phantom-channel theory everywhere including the suspicious lack of detail in the launch announcement, which was oddly scheduled on a Sunday afternoon — read by some as an attempt to evade scrutiny in the media or on Wall Street.

Viacom had no comment on the suggestion, but a source close to the studios said, “This is a real venture.”

More details are expected to emerge shortly. CBS and Showtime have been undergoing a number of changes in recent years and analysts say Showtime now makes most of their revenue from original programming the create.