Free preview
Encyclopedia
Free preview, sometimes referred to by the portmanteau nickname "freeview", is a term, most commonly used by cable television
, referring to when cable systems offer a pay-TV service to customers for free for a short period of time.
and Pennsylvania
by 1973 (a year after its launch) and the subscriber churn rate
was exceptionally high. Subscribers would sample the service for a few weeks, eventually becoming weary of seeing the same films, and then cancel their subscription. HBO struggled because of this and something had to be done. When HBO first signed on in Lawrence, Massachusetts
, the idea was to allow subscribers to preview the service for free on channel 3. After a month, the service moved to channel 6 and was scrambled. The preview proved popular, obtaining many subscriptions.
Soon after, HBO and other premium cable services began offering occasional free previews of their services in order to entice cable customers into subscribing to that specific service. These free previews usually lasted three days from Friday to Sunday (which in recent years, has changed to Friday to Monday four-day free previews, with some cable providers even offering five-day previews in rare cases), airing on the weekends when people who tend to work or attend school during the week are more likely to watch. The free previews offered each premium service to be observed as is, with no editing
whatsoever, this allows programming with graphic violence, nudity, sexual content and/or coarse language to be openly broadcast in homes subscribing to the participating systems (and allowing the possibility of children to observe such content if channel blocking is not activated) since these free previews usually aired on local origination channels on basic cable and on satellite, the premium services would be descrambled to broadcast these programs.
Celebrity hosts were sometimes used for these free previews during the 1980s. Many cable systems offered additional incentive to get people to subscribe to premium services such as offering prizes and free trips. One such example was Cox Communications
, which for several years broadcast "free preview updates", which featured promos, prize giveaways and behind-the-scenes information in-between programs, from Walt Disney World in Orlando
before moving to the MGM Grand
in Las Vegas
in 1999. These updates commonly offered prize giveaways including nightly drawings to win trips to where the free preview was taking place. Other cable systems did similar things to this.
In recent years, however, the free preview concept has shifted with the increase in subscribers to a higher-tiered digital service as premium cable services now run anywhere between one to three free preview weekends per year (those that do now often air them from Friday through Monday, as previously mentioned). Most cable and satellite systems have ceased producing free preview updates for free showcases of premium channels as these previews are no longer run on local origination channels and most systems have relegated premium services to digital cable; this allows the provider to descramble each service (and their respective multiplex channels, should they operate one) to air the specific free preview schedule(s) with that network's promo breaks inserted between programs. Some video-on-demand services, pay-per-view
sports packages and select basic channels available on higher subscription tiers also occasionally offer free previews, sometimes for as long as one to two weeks.
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
, referring to when cable systems offer a pay-TV service to customers for free for a short period of time.
History
HBO first created this concept when the network was on 14 systems in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
by 1973 (a year after its launch) and the subscriber churn rate
Churn rate
Churn rate , in its broadest sense, is a measure of the number of individuals or items moving into or out of a collective over a specific period of time...
was exceptionally high. Subscribers would sample the service for a few weeks, eventually becoming weary of seeing the same films, and then cancel their subscription. HBO struggled because of this and something had to be done. When HBO first signed on in Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence, Massachusetts
Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States on the Merrimack River. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 76,377. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. It and Salem are...
, the idea was to allow subscribers to preview the service for free on channel 3. After a month, the service moved to channel 6 and was scrambled. The preview proved popular, obtaining many subscriptions.
Soon after, HBO and other premium cable services began offering occasional free previews of their services in order to entice cable customers into subscribing to that specific service. These free previews usually lasted three days from Friday to Sunday (which in recent years, has changed to Friday to Monday four-day free previews, with some cable providers even offering five-day previews in rare cases), airing on the weekends when people who tend to work or attend school during the week are more likely to watch. The free previews offered each premium service to be observed as is, with no editing
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
whatsoever, this allows programming with graphic violence, nudity, sexual content and/or coarse language to be openly broadcast in homes subscribing to the participating systems (and allowing the possibility of children to observe such content if channel blocking is not activated) since these free previews usually aired on local origination channels on basic cable and on satellite, the premium services would be descrambled to broadcast these programs.
Celebrity hosts were sometimes used for these free previews during the 1980s. Many cable systems offered additional incentive to get people to subscribe to premium services such as offering prizes and free trips. One such example was Cox Communications
Cox Communications
Cox Communications is a privately owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises providing digital cable television, telecommunications and wireless services in the United States...
, which for several years broadcast "free preview updates", which featured promos, prize giveaways and behind-the-scenes information in-between programs, from Walt Disney World in Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
before moving to the MGM Grand
MGM Grand Las Vegas
The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The MGM Grand is the third largest hotel in the world and largest hotel resort complex in the United States in front of The Venetian. The MGM Grand was the largest hotel in the world when it opened in...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
in 1999. These updates commonly offered prize giveaways including nightly drawings to win trips to where the free preview was taking place. Other cable systems did similar things to this.
In recent years, however, the free preview concept has shifted with the increase in subscribers to a higher-tiered digital service as premium cable services now run anywhere between one to three free preview weekends per year (those that do now often air them from Friday through Monday, as previously mentioned). Most cable and satellite systems have ceased producing free preview updates for free showcases of premium channels as these previews are no longer run on local origination channels and most systems have relegated premium services to digital cable; this allows the provider to descramble each service (and their respective multiplex channels, should they operate one) to air the specific free preview schedule(s) with that network's promo breaks inserted between programs. Some video-on-demand services, pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
sports packages and select basic channels available on higher subscription tiers also occasionally offer free previews, sometimes for as long as one to two weeks.