The number of specialty channels greatly increased during the 1990s and 2000s with the increase of
broadcast bandwidth and
television's transition to digital, while the previously common model of countries having just a few (national) TV stations addressing all interest groups and demographics became increasingly outmoded, as it already had been for some time in several countries. About 65% of today's satellite channels are specialty channels. Types of specialty services may include, but by no means are limited to: •
Adult channels • Children's interest channels •
Documentary channels • Entertainment channels •
Men's interest channels •
Movie channels •
Music channels •
News channels •
Public affairs (broadcasting) •
Public, educational, and government access •
Quiz channels •
Shopping channels •
Sports channels •
Religious broadcasting •
Women's interest channels (These categories are provided for convenience and do not necessarily represent industry-accepted or otherwise legally binding names or categories for these types of services.) Some specialty channels may not be
free-to-air or may not be available through conventional
broadcast or terrestrial television, and are only distributed via
multichannel television services such as
cable or
satellite television. In the United States, such networks are colloquially referred to as
cable channels or
cable networks (regardless of distribution method), with the most widely distributed referred to as "basic cable" networks (as opposed to those in higher service tiers, or
premium services). In the U.S., specialty channels also operate as broadcast television networks designed to be carried on
digital subchannels of terrestrial stations (which proliferated following the
transition from analog broadcasting), which usually focus on library programming catering to specific themes, genres, or demographics. == Canadian specialty channels ==