CATV

abbreviation for

1. community antenna television: a cable television system that receives television broadcasts by antenna and relays them by cable to paying subscribers in areas where direct reception is either poor or not possible.

CATV

abbreviation for

1. community antenna television

Word History and Origins

Origin of CATV¹

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

“At the beginning of 1971 there were 2,500 cable television systems serving 5.5 million subscribers in the U.S. At first it was a simple arrangement for bringing a good television signal into a home that received a poor one or none, often called ‘community antenna television,’ or CATV.

From Scientific American

At their sprawling complex near the Lucky Star Casino in Concho is Oklahoma's first native-owned television station, CATV-47, which airs weather warnings.

From Reuters

Thus a name that cable still goes by: CATV, for Community Antenna Television.

From Time Magazine Archive

Networks have mixed feelings about CATV, but TV stations resent its frequent disruption of local markets with outside channels.

From Time Magazine Archive

A system called cable television, or CATV, is now available and capable of delivering a choice of 60 different interference-free channels to virtually every U.S. home.

From Time Magazine Archive