Why can’t I get certain channels for free?

When broadcasters realized there signals could be picked up free, they developed a scrambler that would filter the broadcast so only certain people could see the image. You would have to purchase a certain filter that would unscramble the signals in order for you to view them. These devices made it possible for the broadcasters to receive money for their broadcasting so it may be funded and continued. This lead to a potential market in the satellite tv industry seeing as there is money to be made in it.


So next time you are watching satellite tv think about how the signal gets from outer space where the satellite is located all the way to your living room TV set. That little decoder you pay for every month that brings the signal to you.