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Pay television or premium television refers to subscription
Subscription business model

The subscription business model is a business model where a customer must pay a subscription price to have access to the product/service. The model was pioneered by magazines and newspapers, but is now used by many businesses and websites....
-based television
Television

Television is a widely used telecommunication mass-media for transmitting and receiving moving , either monochrome or color, usually accompanied by sound....
 services, usually provided by both analog
Analog transmission

Analog transmission is a Transmission method of conveying voice, data, image, signal or video information using a continuous signal which varies in amplitude, phase, or some other property in proportion to that of a variable....
 and digital
Digital terrestrial television

Digital Terrestrial Television is an implementation of digital technology to provide a greater number of channels and/or better quality of picture and sound using aerial broadcasts to a conventional Antenna instead of a satellite dish or cable connection....
 cable
Cable television

Cable television is a system of providing television to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through fixed optical fibers or coaxial cables as opposed to the over-the-air method used in traditional television broadcasting in which a television antenna is required....
 and satellite
Satellite television

Satellite television is television delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by a satellite dish and set-top box. In many areas of the world it provides a wide range of channels and services, often to areas that are not serviced by terrestrial television or cable television providers....
, but also increasingly by digital terrestrial
Digital terrestrial television

Digital Terrestrial Television is an implementation of digital technology to provide a greater number of channels and/or better quality of picture and sound using aerial broadcasts to a conventional Antenna instead of a satellite dish or cable connection....
 methods. Some parts of the world, notably in France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 and the US
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, have also offered encrypted analog terrestrial signals
Analog transmission

Analog transmission is a Transmission method of conveying voice, data, image, signal or video information using a continuous signal which varies in amplitude, phase, or some other property in proportion to that of a variable....
, available for subscription
Subscription business model

The subscription business model is a business model where a customer must pay a subscription price to have access to the product/service. The model was pioneered by magazines and newspapers, but is now used by many businesses and websites....
. Also, some providers offer channels owned by the same company. For example, american satellite provider DirecTV
DirecTV

DirecTV is a direct broadcast satellite service based in El Segundo, California, California, which transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, the Caribbean, and parts of Latin America....
 offers the Encore
Encore

An Encore is an extra performance of a musical piece, usually done at the audience's request.Encore may also refer to:In history:* Operation Encore, part of the Italian Campaign ...
 channels along with the Starz channels in its Starz Super Pack package; and The Movie Channel
The Movie Channel

The Movie Channel is an United States Pay TV owned by Showtime Networks, Inc., a subsidiary of CBS Corporation, which, true to its name, shows only movies....
, Flix
Flix

Flix is a town in Comarques of Catalonia of Ribera d'Ebre, Catalonia. Situated on a promontory by the Ebre river, the town occupied an important strategic position....
 and The Sundance Channel along with Showtime
Showtime

Showtime is a Pay TV brand used by a number of channels and platforms around the world, but primarily refers to a group of channels in the United States....
 in its Showtime Unlimited package.






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Pay television or premium television refers to subscription
Subscription business model

The subscription business model is a business model where a customer must pay a subscription price to have access to the product/service. The model was pioneered by magazines and newspapers, but is now used by many businesses and websites....
-based television
Television

Television is a widely used telecommunication mass-media for transmitting and receiving moving , either monochrome or color, usually accompanied by sound....
 services, usually provided by both analog
Analog transmission

Analog transmission is a Transmission method of conveying voice, data, image, signal or video information using a continuous signal which varies in amplitude, phase, or some other property in proportion to that of a variable....
 and digital
Digital terrestrial television

Digital Terrestrial Television is an implementation of digital technology to provide a greater number of channels and/or better quality of picture and sound using aerial broadcasts to a conventional Antenna instead of a satellite dish or cable connection....
 cable
Cable television

Cable television is a system of providing television to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through fixed optical fibers or coaxial cables as opposed to the over-the-air method used in traditional television broadcasting in which a television antenna is required....
 and satellite
Satellite television

Satellite television is television delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by a satellite dish and set-top box. In many areas of the world it provides a wide range of channels and services, often to areas that are not serviced by terrestrial television or cable television providers....
, but also increasingly by digital terrestrial
Digital terrestrial television

Digital Terrestrial Television is an implementation of digital technology to provide a greater number of channels and/or better quality of picture and sound using aerial broadcasts to a conventional Antenna instead of a satellite dish or cable connection....
 methods. Some parts of the world, notably in France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 and the US
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
, have also offered encrypted analog terrestrial signals
Analog transmission

Analog transmission is a Transmission method of conveying voice, data, image, signal or video information using a continuous signal which varies in amplitude, phase, or some other property in proportion to that of a variable....
, available for subscription
Subscription business model

The subscription business model is a business model where a customer must pay a subscription price to have access to the product/service. The model was pioneered by magazines and newspapers, but is now used by many businesses and websites....
. Also, some providers offer channels owned by the same company. For example, american satellite provider DirecTV
DirecTV

DirecTV is a direct broadcast satellite service based in El Segundo, California, California, which transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, the Caribbean, and parts of Latin America....
 offers the Encore
Encore

An Encore is an extra performance of a musical piece, usually done at the audience's request.Encore may also refer to:In history:* Operation Encore, part of the Italian Campaign ...
 channels along with the Starz channels in its Starz Super Pack package; and The Movie Channel
The Movie Channel

The Movie Channel is an United States Pay TV owned by Showtime Networks, Inc., a subsidiary of CBS Corporation, which, true to its name, shows only movies....
, Flix
Flix

Flix is a town in Comarques of Catalonia of Ribera d'Ebre, Catalonia. Situated on a promontory by the Ebre river, the town occupied an important strategic position....
 and The Sundance Channel along with Showtime
Showtime

Showtime is a Pay TV brand used by a number of channels and platforms around the world, but primarily refers to a group of channels in the United States....
 in its Showtime Unlimited package. Also, some providers offer HBO and Cinemax
Cinemax

Max is a collection of Pay TV that provide film, special features, erotica, and other services to consumers. Max is operated by HBO, Inc. ....
 together.

Unlike other cable networks, premium services are almost always subscribed to individually, meaning that one can, for example, subscribe to HBO without subscribing to Showtime
Showtime

Showtime is a Pay TV brand used by a number of channels and platforms around the world, but primarily refers to a group of channels in the United States....
 (In Canada, there are slight modifications, as most providers include U.S. superstation
Superstation

Superstation in United States television can have several meanings. In its most precise meaning, a superstation is defined by the Federal Communications Commission as "A television broadcast station, other than a network station, licensed by the FCC that is secondarily transmitted by a satellite carrier."...
s with their main premium package by default). However, subscribing to an "individual" service automatically includes access to all of that service's available multiplex channels and, in some cases, access to content via video-on-demand.

Price

Pay television channels come in different price ranges. Many channels carrying advertising combine this income with a lower subscription fee. These are called "mini-pay" channels and are often sold as a part of a package with numerous similarly priced channels. Sometimes, the channels are also sold "à la carte", allowing the consumer to select which channels they subscribe to.

There are also premium television services which have a significantly higher price than the mini-pay channels, but they compensate for their higher price by carrying little or no advertising and also providing a higher quality output.

As advertising sales are sensitive to the business cycle
Business cycle

The term business cycle or economic cycle refers to economy-wide fluctuations in production or economic activity over several months or years, around a long-term growth trend....
, some broadcasters try to balance them with more stable income from subscriptions.

Distribution

Pay television has become popular with cable
Cable television

Cable television is a system of providing television to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through fixed optical fibers or coaxial cables as opposed to the over-the-air method used in traditional television broadcasting in which a television antenna is required....
 and satellite television
Satellite television

Satellite television is television delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by a satellite dish and set-top box. In many areas of the world it provides a wide range of channels and services, often to areas that are not serviced by terrestrial television or cable television providers....
.

There have also been some subscription services on analogue terrestrial television; but free-to-air television has always dominated, and scrambled services have been. Canal+
Canal+

Canal+ is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. It is owned by the Canal+ Group, which in turn is owned by Vivendi SA. The channel broadcasts several kinds of programming and mostly encrypted, but does broadcast some programs without encryption....
 has operated a national pay channel in the French terrestrial network since 1984 and will do so until the closedown of analogue television. Spanish Canal+
Canal+ Spain

Canal+ is a Spanish pay television channel, launched in September 1990 on terrestrial television frequencies. The channel is operated by Sogecable....
 did also broadcast nationally between 1990-2005. Some US stations launched services such SuperTV
SuperTV

Super TV was an early form of subscription television featuring recently-run movies unedited and commercial-free. After originally operating in the Washington, D.C....
, Wometco
Wometco Home Theater

The Wometco Home Theater was an early pay television service in the New York City area, owned by Miami, Florida-based Wometco Enterprises, which owned several major network affiliates in medium markets and WTVJ in Miami ....
, Prism
Prism (TV channel)

PRISM was a 24-hour premium cable television channel intended for cable customers in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania metropolitan area. Launched in September 1976, PRISM broadcast both through cable systems and, from 1983 to 1985, through a scrambled over-the-air signal on WWSG-TV, channel 57....
, Preview
Preview (TV channel)

Preview was a subscription television service, started in 1980, similar to ON TV and SelecTV USA. Like ON and Select, Preview was a scrambled UHF Subscription channel requiring a special set-top box to decode....
, SelecTV
SelecTV USA

SelecTV was a subscription television service formed in 1976, and first broadcasting in 1978 The service focused entirely on televising movies, and ended in 1991....
 and ON-TV
ON-TV

ON-TV was a subscription television service, also known as National Subscription Television, launched in 1977 in television by Oak Industries, Norman Lear's Chartwell Enterprises and Jerry Perenchio....
 in the late '70s, but those services disappeared as they couldn't handle the competition from cable television.

In some countries, the launch of digital terrestrial television
Digital terrestrial television

Digital Terrestrial Television is an implementation of digital technology to provide a greater number of channels and/or better quality of picture and sound using aerial broadcasts to a conventional Antenna instead of a satellite dish or cable connection....
 has meant that pay television has become increasingly popular in countries with regular antennas.

The major distributors of pay television in Australia are Foxtel
Foxtel

Foxtel is an Australian pay television company, formed through a joint venture between Telstra, News Corporation and Consolidated Media Holdings....
, Optus Television
Optus Television

Optus Television is the cable television division of Australia telecommunications company Optus....
, Austar
Austar

About Austar Austar is an Australian telecommunications company. Its main business activity is Subscription Television but it is also involved with internet access and mobile phones....
 and Select Tv, all of which provide cable services in some metropolitan areas, and satellite for regional areas of the country.

Most pay TV services now offer multiplex
Multiplex (TV)

A multiplex or mux is a group of digital TV channels that are mixed together for broadcast. There are two different types of multiplexes, which are closely related but not identical....
 packages, in which the service offers several channels of programming rather than just one.

Ambiguities


Pay-per-view

Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view

Pay-per-view is the system by which a television audience can purchase events to view on TV and pay for the private telecast of that event to their homes....
 (PPV) services are similar to subscription-based pay TV services in that you must pay to have the broadcast decrypted for viewing, but usually only entail a one-off payment for a single or time-limited viewing.

Free-to-view

"Free" variants are free-to-air
Free-to-air

Free-to-air television and radio broadcasts are sent Encryption and may be received via any suitable receiver:Free-to-view is, generally, available without subscription but is digitally encrypted and may be restricted geographically....
 (FTA) and free-to-view
Free-to-view

Free-to-view is a term used in the United Kingdom for certain television channels on the Sky Digital satellite platform which require a working VideoGuard receiver and viewing card to decrypt the signals, but do not require any form of continual subscription....
 (FTV), however FTV services are normally encrypted and decryption cards either come as part of an initial subscription to a pay TV bouquet or can be purchased for a one-off cost.

Selective access of free content
  • FTA and FTV systems may still have selective access. ABC Asia-Pacific is one example. This channel's content is free-to-air but NRL
    National Rugby League

    The National Rugby League is the top Sports league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL competition is contested by 16 teams, 15 based in Australia and one based in New Zealand, and is the Southern Hemisphere's elite rugby league championship....
     games are encrypted.


Partial list of premium services

  • Australia
    Australia

    Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
     - Movie Network
    Movie Network

    Movie Network is an Australian premium television movie service that consists of four channels: Movie One, Movie Two , Movie Extra and Movie Greats....
    , Showtime Australia
    Showtime Australia

    Showtime Australia is a three-tier Australian pay-TV movie service, consisting of Showtime, Showtime 2 , Showtime Greats and Showcase....
  • Brazil
    Brazil

    Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
     - Globo's Telecine, Globo News
    Globo News

    Globo News is the news television channel of Organiza??es Globo, which is the first 24-hour news channel on Brazilian television. It belongs to the group of pay-TV channels Globosat....
    , HBO, SporTV
    SporTV

    This article is about the Brazilian sports network. For the similarly named and themed network in Portugal, see Sport TV.SporTV is a Brazilian cable television television network that has his programming based on all sports, launched in 1991 by Globosat....
  • Canada
    Canada

    Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
     - The Movie Network
    The Movie Network

    The Movie Network is a Canadian English language premium television service, owned by Astral Media. The service is licensed to operate east of the Ontario-Manitoba border, excluding the territories....
    , Movie Central
    Movie Central

    Movie Central is a Canada English language premium television service. Movie Central is designated to operate west of the Ontario-Manitoba border, including the Provinces and territories of Canada#Territories of Canada....
    , Super Écran
    Super Écran

    Super ?cran is a Canadian Canadian French premium television that broadcasts nationally via satellite or cable subscribers. The network is owned by Astral Media....
    , HBO Canada
  • Czech republic
    Czech Republic

    The Czech Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country borders Poland to the northeast, Germany to the west, Austria to the south and Slovakia to the east....
     - UPC
    UPC

    UPC can stand for:...
    , Digi-TV, CS Link
  • France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
     - Canal+
    Canal+

    Canal+ is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. It is owned by the Canal+ Group, which in turn is owned by Vivendi SA. The channel broadcasts several kinds of programming and mostly encrypted, but does broadcast some programs without encryption....
     (the first terrestrial pay television channel created in Europe in 1984)
  • Germany
    Germany

    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
     - Premiere
    Premiere (pay television network)

    Premiere is the first Germany Pay-TV company, offering several channels of digital television content via satellite television and cable television....
    , Kabel Digital
    Kabel Digital

    Kabel Digital is a Germany digital television cable television pay TV platform owned by Kabel Deutschland.Kabel Digital Home*13th Street...
    , Arena
    Arena (pay television network)

    Arena is the Germany Pay-TV company that secured the broadcast rights for German "Fu?ball Bundesliga 2006/2007" . They offer their paid services via cable and satellite....
  • Mexico
    Mexico

    The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
     - Televisa
    Televisa

    Televisa is a Mexico multimedia company, the largest Mass media company in the Spanish language-speaking world. It is a major nternational entertainment business, with much of its programming airing in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract....
    's Cinecanal
    Cinecanal

    Cinecanal is a Latin American panregional cable television network launched in April 1993. It is owned by a group of Hollywood studios and Latin American cable companies....
  • Portugal
    Portugal

    Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Located in southwestern Europe, Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east....
     - TV Cabo
    TV Cabo

    ZON Multim?dia is a Portugal Mass media holding company, whose main assets include a satellite television, cable television and ISP and a movie distributor and a virtual carrier of mobile phone services....
    's TVCine
    TVCine

    TVCine is a Portugal premium television brand used on four movie channels, operated by ZON Multim?dia. They showcase recent movies and premieres from all the major studios, as well as comedy, action, classic and old movies....
    's 4 movie channels, SportTV
  • Slovakia
    Slovakia

    Slovakia . It was amended in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president and again in February 2001 due to EU admission requirements....
     - UPC
    UPC

    UPC can stand for:...
    , Digi-TV, SkyLink
  • United Kingdom
    United Kingdom

    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
     - Sky Movies
    Sky Movies

    Sky Movies is the collective name for the United Kingdom premium subscription television film channels operated by Sky Television plc, and later British Sky Broadcasting....
  • United States
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
     - HBO, Showtime
    Showtime

    Showtime is a Pay TV brand used by a number of channels and platforms around the world, but primarily refers to a group of channels in the United States....
    , Cinemax
    Cinemax

    Max is a collection of Pay TV that provide film, special features, erotica, and other services to consumers. Max is operated by HBO, Inc. ....
    , The Movie Channel
    The Movie Channel

    The Movie Channel is an United States Pay TV owned by Showtime Networks, Inc., a subsidiary of CBS Corporation, which, true to its name, shows only movies....
    , Starz, Encore
    Encore (Premium TV)

    Encore is a United States pay TV television network which exclusively features mainly first-run as well as past motion pictures. It is owned by Starz Entertainment, a division of Liberty Media....
    , MoviePlex
    MOVIEplex

    MoviePlex is a US pay TV network which features motion pictures. It is a spinoff of the Encore movie channel and is owned by Starz Entertainment Group , a division of Liberty Media....
    , Flix
    Flix (cable network)

    Flix is a premium cable television network and is owned by Showtime Networks who also run Showtime, The Movie Channel and The Sundance Channel. It launched in 1992....
    , The Sundance Channel, Playboy TV
    Playboy TV

    Playboy TV is a pay-per-view List of adult television channels on cable television, IPTV and satellite television services, and available in United States, Sweden, Brazil, Canada, M?xico, New Zealand, Greece, the United Kingdom, Spain, Republic of Ireland, Norway and others....
    , Baby First TV, Setanta Sports North America
    Setanta Sports North America

    Setanta Sports North America is a television channel launched in 2005 by the Irish sports broadcaster Setanta Sports to offer live and tape-delayed events....


Extra links

Test Pay TV

See also

  • Pirate decryption
    Pirate decryption

    Pirate decryption most often refers to the reception of compromised pay TV or pay radio signals without authorization from the original broadcaster....
  • Out-of-market sports package
    Out-of-Market Sports Package

    In the United States of America, an Out-of-Market Sports Package is a form of Pay Per View that broadcasts sporting events to areas who are unavailable to see them because the games are not broadcast in their local media market....