Pay television

Pay television, also known as subscription television, premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel,[1][2][3][4] refers to subscription-based television services, usually provided by multichannel television providers, but also increasingly via digital terrestrial and streaming television. In the United States, subscription television began in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the form of encrypted analog over-the-air broadcast television which could be decrypted with special equipment. The concept rapidly expanded through the multi-channel transition and into the post-network era.[5] Other parts of the world beyond the United States, such as France and Latin America have also offered encrypted analog terrestrial signals available for subscription.

The term is most synonymous with premium entertainment services focused on films or general entertainment programming such as, in the United States, Cinemax, HBO, MGM+, Showtime, and Starz, but such services can also include those devoted to sports, as well as adult entertainment.

  1. ^ Busch, Anita (2016-04-19). "Former Universal & Relativity Exec Michael Joe Joins STX As Film Group COO". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
  2. ^ Gross, Daniel (2013-08-10). "Why Time Warner Cable Can't Cave to CBS's Demands". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
  3. ^ Steel, Emily (2015-05-21). "Epix Joining the World of Scripted TV With Two Original Series". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-09-02.
  4. ^ Barnes, Brooks (2010-09-25). "A Fight Brews Over Hollywood's Video 'Window'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-09-02.
  5. ^ Lotz, Amanda D. (2014). The television will be revolutionized. New York, New York: New York University Press. ISBN 9781479890392. OCLC 891396456.