3 ms·
I looked into this and it’s not true that cable existed without ads. From a 1981 NYT article > Although cable television was never conceived of as television
by thakoppno 4y ago
I looked into this and it’s not true that cable existed without ads.
From a 1981 NYT article
> Although cable television was never conceived of as television without commercial interruption, there has been a widespread impression - among the public, at least -that cable would be supported largely by viewers' monthly subscription fees.
https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/26/arts/will-cable-tv-be-inv https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/26/arts/will-cable-tv-be-inv...
- njarboe 4y agoOnly the premium pay extra channels. Similar to today, you could pay to have no ads for some content.
- autoexec 4y agoCable television may not have been conceived of as television without commercial interruption, but it was heavily advertised as being ad free and for a time it really was. I remember the ad creep. It started with channels adverting themselves or shows/movies that would air or replay later on their channel, then came ads for shows airing on other channels, then came the commercials for cars and dish soap.
- mixmastamyk 4y agoIn 1980 we had Showtime at our house. Standard VHF channels 2-13 that did have ads and one extra premium channel with no ads.