The HBO network service is distributed throughout the United States .
HBO was the first true premium cable ( or `` pay-cable '' ) network as well as the first television network intended for cable distribution on a regional or national basis ; however , there were notable precursors to premium cable in the pay-television industry that operated during the 1950s and 1960s ( with a few systems lingering until 1980 ) , as well as some attempts by over-the-air broadcasters during the 1970s and 1980s that ultimately folded as their subscriber bases declined amid viewer shifts to receiving premium television content delivered by cable providers that had begun operating in metropolitan areas throughout that period .
Cable television in the United States