PAY-AS-YOU-SEE TV.: Fun for the Viewer, Hope for the Industry

AT the very beginning of its color revolution, the television industry faces a new one—the possibility of pay-as-you-see TV. Three companies are ready with systems to enable telecasters to charge home viewers for certain shows. Thus, the Federal Communications Commission will soon have to answer the same kind of question it faced in color: Should pay-as-you-see be made available, and if so, what system should be chosen?

From the standpoint of the televiewer, pay-as-you-see promises great benefits: better shows and no commercials. Broadway shows and top sporting events now kept off...