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 pay TV banner has pledged to invest at least €480 million ($503 million) over three years in French and European films in a deal with local guilds signed last March.
—
Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 20 Mar. 2026
Some pay TV providers, like Fubo and a few others, include ESPN Unlimited with their subscription.
—Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Successful theatrical films would go onto earn respectable pay TV and home entertainment dollars, meanwhile.
—Dick Lippin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Mar. 2026
Elsewhere, the long-running series The Call of the Mountain, about an alpine doctor, has been snagged by JOJ for Slovakia and by the AXN White channel for pay TV in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026
On Tuesday, Versant reported that its non-pay TV revenue reached 19% of total revenue in 2025, with roughly $826 million in platforms revenue.
—Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2026
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Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 20 Mar. 2026
Some pay TV providers, like Fubo and a few others, include ESPN Unlimited with their subscription.
—Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Successful theatrical films would go onto earn respectable pay TV and home entertainment dollars, meanwhile.
—Dick Lippin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Mar. 2026
Elsewhere, the long-running series The Call of the Mountain, about an alpine doctor, has been snagged by JOJ for Slovakia and by the AXN White channel for pay TV in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2026
On Tuesday, Versant reported that its non-pay TV revenue reached 19% of total revenue in 2025, with roughly $826 million in platforms revenue.
—Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pay TV.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pay%20TV. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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