Subscription television

Subscription television, also known as cable or PayTV, refers to television channels broadcast for a fee, or subscription, to viewers.

Viewers usually subscribe to subscription television because it gives them access to programs and specialised channels that are not available from free-to-air networks. They are able to choose from a greater variety of channels and are more likely to find programs they like, on at the times they wish to watch.

Subscription television broadcasters can offer advanced services such as video-on-demand, where subscribers can start and stop programs when they choose and can fast-forward or rewind movies and other programs as if they were on DVD.

The first subscription television service began in the United States in the late 1940s and these services grew quickly in popularity in America during the 1960s and 1970s.

The launch of subscription television came late to Australia. The Federal Government approved it for introduction in October 1992 and the first providers began offering services a few years later.

Cable-based subscription television reached Canberra in 1998 with the rollout of the TransACT network.

To access most subscription television services, customers require a specialised piece of equipment called a set top box that sits besides their television and decrypts the signals from the service.

Free-to-air services for subscription television

Subscription television services in Australia also broadcast free-to-air television channels via their networks. This means subscribers to these services have access to free-to-air channels and may received better quality pictures and sound than they can receive using a rooftop antenna.