pay TV

noun

ˈpā-ˈtē-ˈvē How to pronounce pay TV (audio)
: 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 tv

Examples of pay TV in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Current pay TV subscribers in Canada that pay for CNN will be able to log in with their credentials to access new video offerings at no additional cost. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026 Over the last two years, no Spanish company has helped drive Spanish content onto the world stage more than Movistar Plus, the biggest Spanish pay TV/SVOD operator. — John Hopewell, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026 Four Hands, Two Sonatas is a primetime drama broadcast on tvN, one of Korea’s mainstream pay TV networks, with some of its most high-profile TV actors. — Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Oct. 2026 However, California and 11 other states filed suit in mid-July seeking to block the merger, citing antitrust concerns in film and pay TV. — Lillian Rizzo,sarah Whitten, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pay TV

Word History

First Known Use

1954, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pay TV was in 1954

Rhymes for pay TV

See All Rhymes for pay TV

Browse Nearby Words

pay tribute/homage to
pay TV
pay up
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pay TV.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pay%20TV. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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