Subscription television services can be distributed to customers through various means, including wireline media such as cable and fiber-optic wire, direct broadcast satellite, and using internet protocols—either over a private network maintained by the provider, or as an "over-the-top" service streamed over the public internet.
Most specialty networks are funded by advertising and carriage fees paid by the television provider for the privilege to distribute the channel to its subscribers.
Specialty channels can either target a general population similarly to FTA networks, or aim to serve specific demographics or niches.
[5] Pay television channels are premium services funded by subscription fees paid by the customer, rather than advertising.
In Canada, a multichannel television service is legally referred to as a broadcast distribution undertaking (BDU), and they must be licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.