Telemeter (pay television)
Encyclopedia
Telemeter was an earlier pay TV service developed by the International Telemeter Corporation. It was active from 1953 to 1967.
The Telemeter system used a coin-to-box machine connected to any TV set. When the right change was deposited into the box, a scrambled TV signal sent through coaxial cables was unscrambled and rendered visible.
Unlike most early pay TV methods, Telemeter did not lease spectrum space. Rather it used wires which provided a direct link between the subscriber and the television studio. The system, didn't interfere with the closed-spectrum TV signals but rather used a closed circuit system working with a film chain. The service was offered into three channels available to its subscribers.
The subscribers could choose from one of the three channels using a dial located on the box. The box would be installed at the TV set to receive the scrambled signals onto low-VHF channels (usually channels 5 or 6) for descrambling.
Tests began on November 27, 1953 in Palm Springs, California. The first feature film broadcast on pay TV was the world premiere of Forever Female, starring Ginger Rogers
and William Holden
. The film was broadcast live from the Plaza Theatre
. Viewers could put $
1.25 into the Telemeter boxes atop their TV sets. Normal community antena TV services, which gave subscribers the major Los Angeles stations, cost about $ 5.40 a month. But with the set top box, installed at $21.75, subscribers could get first run films and sporting events at a price of $1.25 a program. By early 1954, Telemeter subscription system had signed up 148 households. The film studios, however, due to pressure from theater owners and film distributors, put Telemeter under risk. Following a lawsuit from a local drive-in theater owner, the film supply all but dried up, and Paramount
was unsatisfied by customers playing only Paramount films. The service ended on May 15, 1954.
In 1959, nearly five years after its original shutdown, International Telemeter Corp. (now fully owned by Paramount) began tests in Canada, under the name of Trans-Canada Telemeter Ltd. because the Canadian government protected Paramount from U.S. antitrust laws and public opposition to pay TV. Services began in Etobicoke on 26 February 1960 with 1,000 subscribers. Programming during the first trial years consisted essentially of first run movies and fictional series. The overall cost of the investment was $ 1,500,000. In 1961, Telemeter signed deals with the Toronto Argonauts
football
team and the Toronto Maple Leafs
away games. The Canadian experiment wasn't a success, and was discontinued on April 30, 1965. In its heyday, 5,800 households were subscribed. By the time it shut down operations, it only had 2,500 subscribed TV households. Around its time of closure of its service in Toronto, Telemeter was planning an experimental pay-TV service that would offer three pay channels on an 11-channel CATV system in Montreal
. The service was never carried out. Throughout the mid-1960s, Telemeter
executives urged the FCC to authorize pay-TV as part of CATV in the United States.
In 1966, Paramount was purchased by Gulf+Western
. Telemeter eventually became a separate subsidiary of G+W, which became owner of another NHL team, the New York Rangers
, in 1977. It was building two CATV systems in two states and has applied for franchises in more than 200 cities. Throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, International Telemeter would continue, with little success, to develop new types of CATV and pay-TV equipment.
Despite the failure of Telemeter, it was a technological innovation, introducing pay TV into CATV systems, predating later premium television services such as HBO, Showtime, and Starz, which will be carried on cable and satellite.
The Telemeter system used a coin-to-box machine connected to any TV set. When the right change was deposited into the box, a scrambled TV signal sent through coaxial cables was unscrambled and rendered visible.
Unlike most early pay TV methods, Telemeter did not lease spectrum space. Rather it used wires which provided a direct link between the subscriber and the television studio. The system, didn't interfere with the closed-spectrum TV signals but rather used a closed circuit system working with a film chain. The service was offered into three channels available to its subscribers.
The subscribers could choose from one of the three channels using a dial located on the box. The box would be installed at the TV set to receive the scrambled signals onto low-VHF channels (usually channels 5 or 6) for descrambling.
Tests began on November 27, 1953 in Palm Springs, California. The first feature film broadcast on pay TV was the world premiere of Forever Female, starring Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers was an American actress, dancer, and singer who appeared in film, and on stage, radio, and television throughout much of the 20th century....
and William Holden
William Holden
William Holden was an American actor. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1954 and the Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1974...
. The film was broadcast live from the Plaza Theatre
Plaza Theatre (Palm Springs)
The Plaza Theatre is a historic theater located at 128 South Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs, California. Today, the theatre remains operational as the home of The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies who have been featured on ABC’s 20/20, The Today Show, the New York Times, and other national and...
. Viewers could put $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1.25 into the Telemeter boxes atop their TV sets. Normal community antena TV services, which gave subscribers the major Los Angeles stations, cost about $ 5.40 a month. But with the set top box, installed at $21.75, subscribers could get first run films and sporting events at a price of $1.25 a program. By early 1954, Telemeter subscription system had signed up 148 households. The film studios, however, due to pressure from theater owners and film distributors, put Telemeter under risk. Following a lawsuit from a local drive-in theater owner, the film supply all but dried up, and Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
was unsatisfied by customers playing only Paramount films. The service ended on May 15, 1954.
In 1959, nearly five years after its original shutdown, International Telemeter Corp. (now fully owned by Paramount) began tests in Canada, under the name of Trans-Canada Telemeter Ltd. because the Canadian government protected Paramount from U.S. antitrust laws and public opposition to pay TV. Services began in Etobicoke on 26 February 1960 with 1,000 subscribers. Programming during the first trial years consisted essentially of first run movies and fictional series. The overall cost of the investment was $ 1,500,000. In 1961, Telemeter signed deals with the Toronto Argonauts
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...
football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
team and the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
away games. The Canadian experiment wasn't a success, and was discontinued on April 30, 1965. In its heyday, 5,800 households were subscribed. By the time it shut down operations, it only had 2,500 subscribed TV households. Around its time of closure of its service in Toronto, Telemeter was planning an experimental pay-TV service that would offer three pay channels on an 11-channel CATV system in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. The service was never carried out. Throughout the mid-1960s, Telemeter
Telemeter
A telemeter is a device used to remotely measure a quantity. Telemeters are generally the physical devices used in telemetry. Electronic devices are widely used in telemetry and can be wireless or hard-wired, analog or digital...
executives urged the FCC to authorize pay-TV as part of CATV in the United States.
In 1966, Paramount was purchased by Gulf+Western
Gulf+Western
Gulf and Western Industries, Inc., for a number of years known as Gulf+Western, was an American conglomerate.- History :Gulf and Western's prosaic origins date to a manufacturer named Michigan Bumper Co. founded in 1934, though Charles Bluhdorn treated his 1958 takeover of what was then Michigan...
. Telemeter eventually became a separate subsidiary of G+W, which became owner of another NHL team, the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
, in 1977. It was building two CATV systems in two states and has applied for franchises in more than 200 cities. Throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, International Telemeter would continue, with little success, to develop new types of CATV and pay-TV equipment.
Despite the failure of Telemeter, it was a technological innovation, introducing pay TV into CATV systems, predating later premium television services such as HBO, Showtime, and Starz, which will be carried on cable and satellite.