pay TV
noun
: a service providing noncommercial television programming (such as recent movies and entertainment specials) by means of a scrambled signal to subscribers who are provided with a decoder
—often hyphenated when used attributively
a pay-TV operator
called also pay television
compare pay cable, subscription tvExamples of pay TV in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The distribution partnership is part of the global streamer’s focus on broadening its content offerings and strengthening engagement via an aggregation strategy not unlike traditional pay TV.
—
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026
That could help Versant in future distribution deals with pay TV providers.
—Alex Sherman,jessica Golden, CNBC, 17 June 2026
The company launched its stand-alone direct-to-consumer subscription service Fox One, offering Fox News and other channels outside a pay TV package.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026
Universo is included in select pay TV packages.
—Kaya Kaynak, New York Times, 8 June 2026
Movistar Plus is marking the start of Alfonso Gómez Palacio’s tenure as CEO with a restructuring of its operations, as the leading Spanish pay TV/SVOD platform launches a new content and sports framework.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 19 May 2026
French media giant Canal+ is facing an early test in Africa after its $2 billion acquisition of MultiChoice, with the South African pay TV group preparing to face antitrust regulators over decade-old allegations of collusion.
—Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 6 May 2026
The social impact is good news for Sky, which does not put all sketches from the show online – as a pay TV operator, a key consideration is getting people to sign up to its service, so some of the SNL content remains for Sky and Now TV subs only.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 2 May 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026
That could help Versant in future distribution deals with pay TV providers.
—Alex Sherman,jessica Golden, CNBC, 17 June 2026
The company launched its stand-alone direct-to-consumer subscription service Fox One, offering Fox News and other channels outside a pay TV package.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026
Universo is included in select pay TV packages.
—Kaya Kaynak, New York Times, 8 June 2026
Movistar Plus is marking the start of Alfonso Gómez Palacio’s tenure as CEO with a restructuring of its operations, as the leading Spanish pay TV/SVOD platform launches a new content and sports framework.
—Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 19 May 2026
French media giant Canal+ is facing an early test in Africa after its $2 billion acquisition of MultiChoice, with the South African pay TV group preparing to face antitrust regulators over decade-old allegations of collusion.
—Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 6 May 2026
The social impact is good news for Sky, which does not put all sketches from the show online – as a pay TV operator, a key consideration is getting people to sign up to its service, so some of the SNL content remains for Sky and Now TV subs only.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pay TV.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pay%20TV. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
