The Television Bureau of Advertising announced Tuesday it will henceforth use “subscription TV” in describing the video formerly known as cable programming.

“The word ‘cable,’ when referring to programming, is a relic of an earlier era,” said TVB President Chris Rohrs. “There was a time when everyone who watched nonbroadcast programming watched via a cable MSO provider. Now subscribers to alternative delivery systems such as DBS make up almost one-quarter of American TV households that pay for television programming.”

In some individual markets, more than half of the television households get their nonbroadcast programming through an entity other than a cable multiple system operator, Mr. Rohrs said.