Satellite television, as defined by Wikipedia, an encyclopedia, is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the earth directly to the viewer’s location. The signals are received via an outdoor parabolic antenna commonly referred to as a satellite dish and a low-noise block downconverter.

A satellite receiver then decodes the desired television programme for viewing on a television set. Satellite television provides a wide range of channels and services. It is usually the only television available in many remote geographic areas without terrestrial television or cable television service.

Early systems used analog signals, but modern ones use digital signals which allow transmission of the modern television standard high-definition television, due to the significantly improved spectral efficiency of digital broadcasting. 

According to study.com, the foundation of satellite broadcasting started years before the concept was even envisioned. Arthur C. Clarke, a science fiction writer and inventor, was among the first to talk about being able to communicate globally through satellites.

However, concepts became reality in the late 1950s thanks to the "space race” between the United States and Russia. The space race was a competition between the two countries, as each attempted to show it was the leader in space exploration. In 1957, Russia struck first, launching Sputnik into space. The sound emitted by the world’s first satellite in space could be heard on radio and television by some listeners. Two years later, the United States launched its first satellite. Four years after that, the first communications satellite, Syncom II, took to space, allowing communication for the U.S. military.

It wasn’t until the late 1970s that television signals were first sent through satellites. Over the next few years, this became the primary method of communication for every major television network.

This was the true start of the satellite television business. Early networks included Home Box Office (HBO), Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) and Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN).

Consumers embraced this new technology and were happy to receive television programming thanks to satellites. People bought giant satellite dishes for their yards. Those in rural areas who previously had difficulty receiving regular television broadcasts were now able to enjoy TV.

Yet, this created an issue for some television stations since anyone with a satellite dish was able to access programming for free. The stations took their fight to court because they didn’t want consumers to be able to access their programming without paying.

The FCC ruled against them, however, stating that satellite television is governed by an open skies policy. This meant that if TV stations could use satellites to air programming, the public had the right to access that programming. 

That prompted TV broadcasters to start coding their signals, which required consumers to subscribe and pay to get access.

Today, satellite TV is as popular as cable television, with subscribers flocking to clearer pictures and more programming options than ever before. Consumers have a choice of one of two major satellite companies: DirecTV or Dish Network.

In 1990, Hughes Communications introduced DirecTV as a way to deliver satellite television to consumers around the world. They did so by developing a smaller and lighter 18-inch satellite dish that would work for suburb- and city-dwelling consumers, offering close to 200 channels of programming.