Television channel

A television service or numbered program stream that carries scheduled audiovisual content to viewers through broadcast, cable, satellite, or internet distribution.

Broadcast television: Television distributed over radio waves from terrestrial transmitters to receiving antennas. It is the over-the-air system in which channel frequencies carry scheduled services.
Broadcast network: An organization that supplies television programming to affiliated stations or owned channels. Networks coordinate schedules that local stations may carry as a channel service.
Radio spectrum: The range of electromagnetic frequencies used for radio communication and broadcasting. Early television channels were defined by portions of this spectrum.
Video on demand: A system that lets viewers select and watch video content at a chosen time. On-demand viewing replaces the channel's fixed schedule with individual program selection.
Frequency allocation: The assignment of portions of the electromagnetic spectrum to specific users and services. Broadcast regulators assign spectrum so terrestrial channels can operate without harmful interference.
Public broadcasting: Broadcasting funded primarily through public sources and organized to serve civic or cultural purposes. Public-service channels prioritize educational, cultural, and informational programming.
Federal Communications Commission: The United States agency that regulates interstate communications, including broadcast spectrum and television stations. Its rules shaped how American broadcasters received channel numbers and frequencies.
Streaming television: Television content delivered over internet networks as continuous streams or selectable programs. Internet television can provide scheduled channels while also enabling on-demand playback.
Multiplexing: The combination of multiple signals into one transmission channel for shared delivery. Digital broadcasters can carry several television services within one allocated signal.
Pay television: Television programming supplied to subscribers for a recurring fee or other payment. Subscription channels fund programming through paid access rather than advertising alone.

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