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Pay television, subscription television, premium television, or premium channels refer to subscription-based television services, usually provided by both analog and digital cable and satellite television, but also increasingly via digital terrestrial and internet television. Subscription television began in the multi-channel transition and transitioned into the post-network era. Some parts of the world, notably in France and the United States, have also offered encrypted analog terrestrial signals available for subscription. ==Programming== Subscription-based or pay television has resulted in a change in what type of content is broadcast by these networks. This model has led to networks creating much more specialized types of shows to influence viewers to subscribe. Subscription networks are most concerned with providing content that will make people want to subscribe as well as renew subscriptions rather than who is watching and when this viewing is taking place. Due to the unedited nature of premium services, it is typical for them to show programming content that includes large amounts of profanity, nudity, sexual situations, violence and other adult content (the inclusion of any such content depends on the program, as services may also include content that is at least partially, if not entirely, devoid of material that may be inappropriate for some viewers). To notify viewers of program content, most premium channels air advisory bumpers immediately before each program, mentioning the program's rating (this typically does not apply to live sporting events) and program content information. Since the 1990s, premium channels in the United States use content descriptors that describe potentially objectionable content included in the program, such as mild violence (identified as "MV") or strong sexual content (identified as "SSC"); additional features included in the television program such as closed captioning and surround sound functions, and alternate-language audio tracks via secondary audio program feeds may also be mentioned. Movies comprise much of the programming content seen on most pay television services, particularly those with a general entertainment format and those that focus exclusively on films; films that are broadcast on most premium channels air in their original theatrically-released (and in some cases, unrated home video or DVD) versions; this is in comparison to films aired on terrestrial television or basic cable, which may be subject to edits for time and/or content, depending on what content a jurisdiction allows to be shown over-the-air or on basic cable. Many pay television services obtain rights to films through exclusive agreements with film distributors (this did not become the norm in the U.S. until the mid-1980s, as it would be common for the same film to be broadcast on unrelated pay services during its term of license); films acquired during the original term of license agreements with a distributor may also be broadcast as "sub-runs," in which a service holds rights to film long after the conclusion of a distribution agreement (under this arrangement, the pay service that originally licensed the rights to a particular film title, or one other than that which had held rights, may hold the broadcast rights through a library content deal). Many general interest premium channels also produce original television series, which feature content that in some jurisdictions may be edgier – and therefore, often more risque – than such programs seen on broadcast networks; many of these series (such as HBO's ''The Sopranos'' and ''Sex and the City'', and Showtime's ''Dexter'') have gone on to achieve viewer, critical and accolade success, though they are subject to a lower audience ratings threshold to be considered a hit than programs on broadcast television because these channels are subscription-based and therefore only appear in a fraction of homes with at least one television set. Some premium channels also broadcast television specials, which most commonly consist of concert events, documentary films and stand-up comedy acts, and in the past, have also included theatrical plays. Sports programming is also featured on some premium services, in particular HBO and Showtime in the United States are both notable for their carriage of boxing events, while Showtime and Epix also carry mixed martial arts events; some general interest premium channels have aired other professional sporting events in the past: HBO for example, has carried games from the National Hockey League (NHL), National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA) in its early years and from 1975 to 1999, aired the Wimbledon tennis tournament. Specialty pay sports channels such as Setanta Sports and Fox Soccer Plus exist, and are typically sold at a higher expense than traditional premium services; out-of-market sports packages in North America are multi-channel pay services carrying professional or collegiate sporting events which are sold in a seasonal package – these are typically the most expensive type of pay services, generally running in the range of $35 to $50 per month. Some pay services also offer pornographic films; a few mainstream services (such as Cinemax in the U.S. and The Movie Network's MExcess in Canada) carry a limited amount of softcore content during late night time periods. Specialized channels dedicated to pornographic films also exist that carry either softcore adult programs (such as Playboy TV) or slightly more hardcore content (such as The Erotic Network and Hustler TV), these channels are often sold on a night-by-night basis similar to the pay-per-view model, even though they commonly operate as 24-hour channels. Premium television services are commonly devoid of traditional commercial advertising, therefore programs on most pay television channels are uninterrupted by television commercials within the broadcast; instead, breaks are inserted between programs, which typically advertise promotions for upcoming programs and feature special behind-the-scenes interstitials (this is the main reason why most subscription television channels are able to run programs without any editing, as they are not subject to pressure from advertisers to tone down content); some sports-based pay services, however, may feature some commercial advertising, particularly if they simulcast sporting events that are broadcast by advertiser-supported television networks. In addition, most general interest or movie-based pay services do not adhere to the common top and bottom of the hour scheduling of other cable channels and terrestrial broadcasters. As such, programs often air using either conventional scheduling or have airtimes in five-minute increments (for example, 7:05 a.m. or 4:40 p.m.); since such channels broadcast content without in-program break interruptions, this sometimes leads to extended or abbreviated breaks between programs, depending on when the previous program concludes and when the start time of the next program is. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Pay television」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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