Cable Television: -

“A system in which television programs are transmitted to the sets of

subscribers by cable rather than by a broadcast signal”.
“A system of television reception in which signals from distant
stations are picked up by a master antenna and sent by cable to the
individual receivers of paying subscriber”.
The earliest cable systems were, in effect, strategically
placed antennas with very long cables connecting them to subscribers'
television sets. Because the signal from the antenna became weaker as it
traveled through the length of cable, cable providers had to
insert amplifiers at regular intervals to boost the strength of the signal and
make it acceptable for viewing.

History: -
It is claimed that the first cable television system in the United States
was created in 1940 in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania by John Walson to
provide television signals to people whose reception was poor because of
tall mountains and buildings blocking TV signals. In America People living
in remote areas, especially remote mountainous areas, couldn't see the
programs that were already becoming an important part of U.S. culture.
In 1948, people living in remote valleys in Pennsylvania solved their
reception problems by putting antennas on hills and running cables to their
houses.
The Cable TV CATV in Pakistan was first introduced in Karachi in early
80’s. This was a small scale network in basement of a building, providing
only 3 to 5 channels including PTV. In 1990 many broadcast channels
started Satellite transmission which made the cable TV more attractive for
the viewers.
Growth of Cable TV: -
The cable TV industry exploded from modest beginnings in the 1950s
into a service that by 2003 reached 69 percent of all U.S. households that
had television. By the 1960s, consumers began to demand not only better
reception but also more signals. This demand fueled the exponential
growth of the industry. In 2003, almost ten thousand cable systems
provided services to 73 million household subscribers in the United States.  
The US-based Inter recently released their annual report, which included
an interesting comparison of the pace of growth ad spend on the Internet
vs broadcast and cable. The data is from an independent survey compiled
from companies selling advertising online. According to the survey Cable
TV have earned around 7.3 million US$ in its first 16 years which is lower
than internet which stands at whooping 26 million US$.
A Historical overview of Cable TV by decades: -
1940’s & 50’s
 Began as a means to enhance TV reception
 In 1952 there were 70 systems and 14,000 subscribers
1960’s
 By 1962 there were 800 systems and 850,000 subscribers
 FCC expands jurisdiction and places restrictions
 Market ‘freeze’ occurs lasting through to mid-70’s
1970’s
 Gradual deregulation begins in 1972 increasing investment
 HBO and WTBS ‘Superstation’ begin as premium channels
 Decade ends with 16 million subscribers
1980’s
 New 1984 deregulation act causes rapid growth
 $15 Billion invested in wiring over 8 year period
 Ended the decade with 53 million subscribers
 Price rises begin to fuel consumer concern
1990’s
 New regulations opened ‘exclusive’ programming to other competitive
technologies
 70% market share retained by Cable TV providers
 Massive investment in ‘broadband’ begins in 1996
2000 and beyond
 Dramatic growth with Broadband services
 HDTV, VOD, VoIP
 Today Cable companies are a ‘Broadband Provider’
Numbers crunching (US market)
 US Television Households 112,275,000
 Cable TV Penetration 58%
 Annual Cable Revenues $75.2 Billion
 Advertising Revenues $26.9 Billion
 Franchise Fees Paid By Cable $ 3.0 Billion

Cable TV in Pakistan: -
There are two types of CATV networks are providing services in
Pakistan. One is analog CATV network and other is Digital CATV network.
 Analog CATV network
In this network operators obtain the channels from different sources
like satellite TV, terrestrial TV and from CD/DVD VCR player in form of AV
signal and feed these signals to the modulators. Modulator provides RF
modulated signal at its output.
 Digital CATV
In digital CATV network all setup is same like in analog CATV setup.
The operator collects programs from different sources like Satellite
channel, live local TV channels, or CD/DVD player. They achieve the
signals through Digital satellite Receiver or cameras or CD/DVD player in
Audio Video form. This AV signal is then provided to the MPEG-Encoders
which converts these signals in MPEG-2 format.

Cable TV changing cultural trends: -

The satellite television has made its greatest impact among the college and
university populations of Pakistan because this group is most affected by
new trends in language, fashion or behavior. Now satellite television is
thrusting the commercial face of Western industrial civilization into almost
every metropolitan household and helping to create a new global middle
class ethos which affects far larger numbers of people. A discussion group
among 17- and 18-year old students from the elite Beacon House school
and college in Islamabad revealed that most of them spoke English in the
school (some at home too) and watched English language television
programs. None of the group watched PTV and neither did their parents.
VJs from the music channels were definite reference points for style and
fashion in music and dress, though most of it was western. Outside the elite
groups in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, the middle class even in same
cities and other large cities like Peshawar or Faisalabad, the music
channels were less popular and more controversial. In these cities,
traditional values are still well respected and students displayed more
resistance to western role models and morals. Among middle class Pushto-
speaking students in Peshawar, the boys expressed a preference for news,
sports and quizzes, while girls favored mythological and Urdu satellite
serials. However, the girls were openly enthusiastic about TV fashions.
‘That is what I am watching each time', said one young woman, '... the
hairstyle, the shoes, the clothes.... I watch the music channels only for that'
all of this revealed in a study conducted by University of Quaid e Azam.
Satellite TV has created its greatest ethical and cultural impacts as a result
of a new series of tele-play operas which offered the public bolder themes,
franker treatment of personal relations, and fewer happy endings. The
special and peculiar themes were the hallmarks of satellite television
initially, but by the mid-1990s, PTV serials were also exploring similar
relationships. PTV had pioneered soap opera in the late 1970s and 1980s
with Afshan, Waris, Khuda ki basti, andheray Ujalay which carried a
message of modernity centering on the family and clan relationship. That
was the time when television intended to serve the development goals of
the state. According to a research, young people spend an increasing
number of hours watching TV and are enthralled by it. They say, TV is
presenting consumerism as a way of life. Consumer non-durables are the
easiest things to sell because they do not require a big investment. But
advertisements for soft drinks and cosmetics boost the market for a whole
range of consumer durables associated with 'modern' lifestyles. The
increasing number of Indian and Turkish dramas on satellite channels
contaminating the minds of Pakistani youngsters. The foreign culture is
continuously being fed to the common household of Pakistan.