Claim: The Sopranos ran on a satellite network.

Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to paying subscribers via radio frequency -LRB- RF -RRB- signals transmitted through coaxial cables , or in more recent systems , light pulses through fiber-optic cables . This contrasts with broadcast television , in which the television signal is transmitted over the air by radio waves and received by a television antenna attached to the television . FM radio programming , high-speed Internet , telephone services , and similar non-television services may also be provided through these cables .  Analog television was standard in the 20th century , but since the 2000s , cable systems have been upgraded to digital cable operation .   A `` cable channel '' -LRB- sometimes known as a `` cable network '' -RRB- is a television network available via cable television . When available through satellite television , including direct broadcast satellite providers such as DirecTV , Dish Network and BSkyB , as well as via IPTV providers such as Verizon FIOS and AT&T U-verse is referred to as a `` satellite channel '' . Alternative terms include `` non-broadcast channel '' or `` programming service '' , the latter being mainly used in legal contexts . Examples of cable/satellite channels/cable networks available in many countries are HBO , MTV , Cartoon Network , E! , Eurosport and CNN International .   The abbreviation CATV is often used for cable television . It originally stood for Community Access Television or Community Antenna Television , from cable television 's origins in 1948 . In areas where over-the-air TV reception was limited by distance from transmitters or mountainous terrain , large `` community antennas '' were constructed , and cable was run from them to individual homes . The origins of cable broadcasting for radio are even older as radio programming was distributed by cable in some European cities as far back as 1924 .