Many satellite traffic today is intended to be used by cable companies that distribute programming to their subscribers. Many programs are supported by advertisers, while others require payment of a monthly fee for hosting.
Sports. With a chain of sports 24 hours and over a dozen additional channels with the regular sports coverage, it is now possible to see a dazzling array of competitive sport in the world. When combined with the transmission of the Major League Baseball, basketball, football, hockey and soccer by the networks, there are now hundreds of hours of sports coverage every week made via satellite, more than enough for even the most devoted fans.
Films. There are several satellite channels devoted to cinema services 24 hours as HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, The Movie Channel, SelecTV, etc. All these services are supported by subscribers, their features are new films for television and are not interrupted by advertisements. Most of them also offer special events such as concerts, sporting events or other entertainment. But their main focus is on providing first-run movies after finishing at the box office, movie classics, or even their own film productions.
News channels. There are a number of new cable channels that provide coverage of major national and international events and in-depth reports on various topics. Financial, sports, weather and regional newscasts across the country are also available on a constantly updated.
Educational programming. A number of channels are devoted to teaching or educational presentations on specific topics or for specific audiences. Some of these programs offer college course credit material. Others seek to educate the public in various fields such as health care, consumer information, science, or public affairs issues.
Superstations. Independent television stations in New York, Atlanta, Chicago and Mexico City are available. These stations rely on advertising for their support and offer a menu of programming similar to other large urban television. They offer movies, sports events, documentaries, sit-coms and soaps, repeats many of them from television series that are older still popular.
Government Television. Both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Canadian Parliament to provide daily coverage of their meetings, including subcommittee reports, hearings, etc. The channel of Congress, C-SPAN, is currently one of SATCOM IIIR transponder and a transponder additional Galaxy I from 1984. This allows people to directly see that their representatives in government do and say.
Cultural programming. There are several satellite transponders offering a range of entertainment selected from the performing arts. These programs include drama, ballet, opera, cinema art, dance and classical music presentations.
Entertainment Networks. These theaters offer live sports events, musical concerts, extracts from foreign television, opera and ballet. There are several satellite channels that carry an extensive menu of entertainment productions including Las Vegas and other goodies.
Programming for minorities. Features educational, cultural, ethnic, and entertainment produced by and for minorities are available. In today's melting pot in America, French and Spanish channels supply language news and other programming for minority audiences. For others, watching these programs can help improve foreign language skills.
Religious networks. Provide specific shows for church members. Some of them are involved in the presentation of religious doctrine, while others attempt to provide family entertainment that emphasizes basic Christian themes.
Adult Entertainment. There are several channels on the satellites that provide adult entertainment in the evening later. Some services such as movie and Cinemax SelecTV have several hours of adult-oriented programming on the evening of the week.
Non-video programming. In addition to their television broadcasts, many satellites offer a selection of radio stations, many in stereo, and long distance services and new information videotex.
