Disconnected! The Cable Networks that Never Made It!

''Disconnected! The Cable Networks that Never Made It!'' is a 2014 TV special made by the Random Channel. It features S-VHS recordings of channels such as Genesis Storytime, The Puppy Channel, etc. etc. (cable networks that never made it/were shortlived)

FESTIVAL
One of the first spinoffs HBO tried was "Festival," from 1987. It was cheaper per month than HBO proper, and aimed at a family audience (R-rated films shown on Festival were edited down to PG).

Yet even with the giant HBO behind it, Festival failed to get much support from cable operators. The channel was rare and only appeared in a few cable systems before disappearing in about a year's time.

THE SEGA CHANNEL
One of the most genre-defying cable stations, if it can even be defined as one, appeared in the mid-90's during Sega's suicidal add-on craze. THIS channel plugged into your Sega Genesis via a special adapter and gave you fifty games a month, as well as free demos, game tips, and titles unreleased in America through any other means. These rare games vanished once the Sega Channel disconnected in 1998, and their English translations only survive through ROMs and a few European releases in cartridge form.

Sega Channel is one of only two cable stations ever attempted for a video game console. The other, believe it or not, was broadcast in 1981 for the Intellivision.

PLAYCABLE It was an online service introduced in 1981 that allowed local cable television system operators to send games for the Intellivision over cable wires alongside normal television signals.

Through the service, subscribers would use a device, called the PlayCable adapter, to download the games for play on their Intellivision. It was the first service that allowed users to download games for play on a video game console. PlayCable was not widely adopted, due in part to high costs for users and operators, as well as limitations of the PlayCable adapter. The service was discontinued in 1983.