Definition: A conditional access system gives the consumer choice over the pay channels that are beamed into his home. At an industry level, it tackles the issue of addressability that has been a problem in India with gross underreporting of cable homes by operators. This has resulted in potential revenue losses for broadcasters.

Description: A conditional access system usually has two packages bundled in. One, the basic free-to-air channels and the second, pay channels which are chosen by the consumer.

A set-top box is installed at the consumer's end. This set-top box is configured to receive pre-determined signals from the cable operator's end. The set-top boxes have an additional cost that may be shared by the cable operator and the consumer. These boxes may also be rented out by the cable operator to the subscriber. Since these set boxes can be individually monitored, it will be more difficult for cable operators to under-declare subscribers.

Also See: DTH