Television

“Television receivers” as used in this section represent the estimated total number of both black and white and colour television sets in use. “Television households” refer to the number of households that have television receivers. This is not the same as the number of tele-vision receivers since households can have more than one receiver and other entities besides households may have receivers (for example, businesses and hotels). Note that for some countries, the number of licences (i.e. system where television sets must be registered) is used as a proxy for television households. Since households may not register, the number of licences may understate the true number; especially if there is widespread avoidance of the licensing system. “Cable TV subscribers” are those households which subscribe to a multichannel television service delivered by a fixed-link connection, usually co-axial or fibre optic cable. However, some countries also report subscribers to pay television using wireless technology. In addition, some countries also report the number of households that are cabled to community antenna systems although the antennas are only re-broadcasting free-to-air channels and are used because of poor reception. “Home satellite antennas” show the number of households with access to a multichannel television service delivered by satellite. This figure includes both direct-to-the-home (DTH) service and Satellite Master Antenna Television (SMATV) which serves several households in the same building. SMATV serving households in different buildings is counted as cable TV.