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Why is satellite TV cheaper than cable?

by Olufisayo
satellite TV cheaper than cable

Satellite TV offers the streaming of a variety of local and international channels on your TV screen. Satellite TV does not usually have expensive monthly bills because the number of channels is relatively higher, which enables the best cost per channel for the customers. However, that’s not always true and the prices and number of channels fundamentally vary from person to person.

For satellite, you have to install a kit and dish on your rooftop facing the southern sky while cable works through the underground network of wires. In contrast to satellite, cable internet bundles provide high-speed internet with smooth transmission of signals because that remains unaffected if the weather changes, unlike satellite. However, satellites make picture quality brighter as compared to cable TV. If you are looking for DSL, and cable services, we would recommend you check out CenturyLink internet.

The quality of cable and satellite is also subjective as both have their strengths and the reasons people are willing to pay for those. Though different areas have different aspects that either support satellite TV or cable TV.

Factually, cable services are not available everywhere due to their costly infrastructure that essentially requires a certain amount of demand from that region whereas satellite due to its nature of working through airwaves is accessible to everyone as long as they have a rooftop for placing the dish. Not to overlook the fact, pay attention to previous or already existing clients’ experience and ask for neighbor’s recommendations as they matter a lot.

In this article, we will quickly give you an idea of why is satellite TV cheaper than cable. Also, some fact checks if that is true or just an assumption. So without further delay, let’s dive into the details!



What are the major cable TV providers?

A variety of cable operators are providing their services all over the country. Some of the prominent names include optimum TV, Xfinity, Frontier, spectrum TV, Mediacom TV, sudden link TV, and Cox counter TV. These are massively accessible.

What are satellite TV providers?

In the United States, two notable satellite service providers are providing their services includes; Dish Network and DIRECTV. In Canada, there is 3rd cable Network operator, named “Bell TV” which provides their services in North America also.

What are some differences between Cable and Satellite TV?

Satellites transmit radio signals to your TV set. In contrast to satellite TV, cable TV provides the signals to your TV set through fiber optics via copper wire.  Essentially, satellite works through intangible airwaves and cable as the name suggest too, does the job through wires.

Satellite TV 

Satellite TV works on different methods as compared to Cable TV. The two major providers of satellite TV include Dish and DIRECTV have a contract with different media houses that provide them their content for broadcasting.

Satellite network operators transmit the received content to satellites that are revolving in the orbits.



Satellites grab the signal and rebroadcast to the dish antenna on earth. This dish antenna transmits signals to your TV set to carry this on to your favorite TV channel.

Cable TV

Cable TV operators have an agreement with local as well as international channels. They only transmit services of the channel that are their media partners.

Cable TV receives content from these TV channels, after that, they compress the networks and forward it to fiber optics. The redistribution kit receives signals from fiber optic. The signals require pre-amplification before sending them to the TV set.

Then it broadcasts their transmission through the fiber optics to your TV set.

Final Thoughts

Though the prices between satellite and cable services are not drastically far. Cable services employ a huge amount of resources to make their services available only.



The channels are outsourced and are purchased on agreement by satellite and cable providers both. There is a wide range of packages available for cable as well as satellite services to meet the unique needs of every customer and household.

Some student packages, senior citizen discounts, and basic packages are always around to entertain the ones with a limited budget. Bundling up the services also gets you a significant amount of discounts and some benefits which may include free of cost services. Satellite is more relevant at places that have limited or no access to any other (commonly cable) services.

Photo by cottonbro from Pexels

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