[5] Other parts of the world beyond the United States, such as France and Latin America have also offered encrypted analog terrestrial signals available for subscription.
As a result, programming is typically aired with limited to no edits for time or, where applicable, mature content such as graphic violence, profanity, nudity, and sexual activity.
Some sports-based pay services, however, may feature some commercial advertising, particularly if they simulcast sporting events that are broadcast by advertiser-supported television networks.
In addition, most general interest or movie-based pay services do not adhere to the common top and bottom of the hour scheduling of other cable channels and terrestrial broadcasters.
The only universal variation to this is prime time, where the main channel in each pay service's suite usually schedules films to start on the hour.
These series also tend to be high-budget and aim for critical success in order to attract subscribers: notable premium series, such as Cinemax's Banshee, The Knick, Strike Back, Jett, HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm, Game of Thrones, Sex and the City, and The Sopranos, and Showtime's Dexter, Homeland, and Weeds, have achieved critical acclaim and have won various television awards.
[5] Sports programming is also featured on some premium services; HBO was historically known for its broadcasts of boxing, while Showtime and Epix also carry mixed martial arts events.
Some general interest premium channels have aired other professional sporting events in the past: HBO for example, carried games from the National Hockey League (NHL), National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA) in its early years, and from 1975 to 1999 aired the Wimbledon tennis tournament.
Cinemax eventually phased out the programming completely in the 2010s, citing that it did not align with its current focus on action programming, and that internet porn and the amount of sexual content in other mainstream premium series (such as Game of Thrones) made a specific block for such content redundant.
Similarly, many television providers offer general interest or movie-based premium channels at no additional charge for a trial period, often one to three months, though there have been rare instances of free trials for pay services that last up to one year for newer subscribers to that provider's television service.
Pay television services often, at least two to three times per year, provide free previews of their services, in order to court potential subscribers by allowing this wider audience to sample the service for a period of days or weeks; these are typically scheduled to showcase major special event programming, such as the pay cable premiere of a blockbuster feature film, the premiere (either a series or season premiere) of a widely anticipated or critically acclaimed original series or occasionally, a high-profile special (such as a concert).
The shift towards SVOD has resulted in increasing competition within the sector, with media conglomerates having launched their own services (such as Disney+, Paramount+, Peacock, and Disney's acquisition of the majority of Hulu) to compete, and existing premium networks such as HBO (HBO Now)[12] and Showtime launching direct-to-consumer versions of their existing services to appeal to cord cutters.
ABC Australia is one example, as much of its programming content is free-to-air except for National Rugby League (NRL) games, which are encrypted.