CABLE TELEVISION

noun (Lifestyle and Leisure) A system for relaying television programmes by cable (rather than broadcasting them over the air), usually into individual subscribers' homes; also, collectively, the stations and programmes that make use of this system. Often abbreviated to cable tv or simply cable. Etymology: Formed by compounding; a straightforward combination of the existing nouns cable and television. History and Usage: The first experiments with cable television were carried out in the US in the early sixties, but at first the system was officially known as community antenna television, since the signal is picked up by a shared antenna before being cabled to individual receivers. The snappier name cable tv or cable television was first used in the mid sixties in the US, competing for a time with Cablevision (a trade mark which belonged to one of the larger companies operating the system there). After unsuccessful experiments here too in the fifties, cable television was finally adopted in the UK at the beginning of the eighties, giving rise to much speculation about its probable effect on the quality and choice of programmes in conventional broadcasting; in the event it enjoyed a smaller take-up than satellite television. Once established in any individual country, cable tv has tended to be abbreviated further to cable alone (without a preceding article); the word is often used to refer to the stations or programmes available rather than the system. There is also a verb cable, 'to provide (a home, area, etc.) with cable television'. Reports that the government will soon approve plans to bring cable television to Britain have appeared in almost every newspaper. New Scientist 9 Sept. 1982, p. 674 Even Coronation Street...failed to catch on when it was shown on a New York channel in 1976 and on nationwide cable in 1982. Listener 4 Dec. 1986, p. 29 Cabling a typical 100,000-home franchise takes four to five years, costs ø35 million--ø350 for each home passed by the fibre-optic link which carries the signals. Business Apr. 1990, p. 100