pay television


noun

a commercial service that broadcasts or provides television programs to viewers who pay a monthly charge or a per-program fee.
the programming provided.
Also called pay-TV [pey-tee-vee] /ˈpeɪˌtiˈvi/, subscription television.

Origin of pay television

First recorded in 1955–60

British Dictionary definitions for pay television

pay television

noun

a system by which television programmes are transmitted in scrambled form, unintelligible except to those who have paid for descrambling equipment Also called: subscription television Compare free-to-air, pay-per-view