It's pretty much the same deal in america. You can get a few channels for free with an antenna. To get more you have to buy a cable or satellite subscription, but all you get then is a ton of crap with so many ads it's not even worth watching usually. I don't think I've watched anything on cable in several months now, even though we have it.
Ahh ok. We've had pay TV a few times but got it cut off.