ONTV (pay TV)

ONTV is a defunct American subscription television service owned by National Subscription Television, a joint venture between Oak Industries (a manufacturer of satellite and pay television decoders and equipment), Chartwell Enterprises (owned by Norman Lear) and Jerry Perenchio. Operating in such major markets as Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit, ONTV aired a broad mix of feature films from mainstream Hollywood blockbusters to pornographic films as well as sports events and specials.

Origins

Launched in 1977, ONTV was one of many "scrambled UHF" television services in many major markets around the United States (including SelecTV, PRISM, Starcase, Spectrum, Preview, VEU, SuperTV and Z Channel) in the era before multi-channel cable television services offering cable-originated networks – including subscription services with formats similar to services like ONTV – became widely available. Cable television increased in availability throughout many cities during the 1980s, rendering "over-the-air" subscription television obsolete.

Pay television

Pay television, subscription television, premium television, or premium channels refer to subscription-based television services, usually provided by both analog and digital cable and satellite television, but also increasingly via digital terrestrial and internet television. Subscription television began in the multi-channel transition and transitioned into the post-network era. Some parts of the world, notably in France and the United States, have also offered encrypted analog terrestrial signals available for subscription.

Programming

Subscription-based or pay television has resulted in a change in what type of content is broadcast by these networks. This model has led to networks creating much more specialized types of shows to influence viewers to subscribe. Subscription networks are most concerned with providing content that will make people want to subscribe as well as renew subscriptions rather than who is watching and when this viewing is taking place.

ONTV

ONTV or variant may refer to:

ONTV (Egypt)

It's owned by Prima TV company, Tarak Ben Ammar, the Arabic-language ONTV network has adopted a politically liberal stance and, in addition to its popular Ramadan serials, hosts two of the most-watched talk shows in Egypt. The station positions itself on its website as the only politically independent Egyptian television station.

Sister Networks

In September 2011, Hawa Ltd. launched OnTvLive, a 24-hour news network with a yearly budget of $3 million. ONTV and ONTVLive share the same editorial staff and employs approximately 30 journalists scattered throughout Egypt. ONTVLive has attempted to orient itself as more pan-Arab than its predecessor ONTV, employing presenters from other Arab nations, stationing correspondents in Sudan and Libya, and applying to the government of Qatar for the accreditation of an OnTvLive journalist to be stationed in Doha.

In 2011, Hawa Ltd. also launched ONTVRamadan, a temporary channel that aired during the month of Ramadan and broadcast soap operas and "big budget drama."