Sega Channel was a project developed by Sega for the 16-bit Sega Genesis console. Starting in 1994, Sega Channel service was provided to the public by Time Warner Cable and TCI Inc., which later was acquired by the old AT&T during its cable acquisition spree that formed AT&T Broadband.

For a monthly subscription fee (usually USD $12.95 depending on where you were located), along with a USD $25 activation fee, the subscriber would get an adapter, which plugged into the Genesis cartridge slot, and was connected to their cable television connection. The service would provide them with unlimited access to 50 games, selectable through an on-screen menu, with new games appearing every month and later every 2 weeks. The games would be downloaded in about 1-5 minutes and play just like the retail versions. These games were separated by genre, like Action, Fighting, Adventure, and Family.

Sega also ran several promotions through the service:

• Special "test drives" for up-and-coming titles were provided. In some, after a certain time limit (15 minutes), gameplay was terminated, and the player was returned to the menu. Other games had limited content; for example, Primal Rage had only two characters playable, and Sonic 3D Blast ended after completing the first stage.
• Some games not released in the United States were exclusive to the service.
• Cheats and tips could be accessed on the service and appeared while the games were downloading.
• Late in the service's life, contests were held, where players could win Sega Saturn systems, projection TVs, BMX bikes, etc.

The service was also available in Canada, in some parts of the United Kingdom on certain cable services, in Chile on defunct Metropolis cable company, and in Argentina on Cablevisión TCI.

It was not fully successful as many people did not purchase one. It ended in June of 1997. Unfortunately, as it ended, so did access to English translations of otherwise unreleased games, notable ones including Alien Soldier, The Wily Wars and Pulseman; some received European releases, while others were lost forever, leaving behind only the original Japanese versions.

See also

• Intellivision's PlayCable
• Super Famicom's Satellaview

External links

• Archive.org - Archive of the Sega Channel official homepage
• Business Wire - Sega Channel Cited by "Popular Science" as Among 1994's Outstanding Products and Technological Achievements
• Sega Channel: The First Real "Downloadable" Content - Article on the history of the service

Sega hardware | 1992 establishments | Defunct television channels