Satellite TV works by broadcasting video and audio signals from geostationary satellites to satellite dishes on the Earth’s surface. These geostationary satellites orbit the earth in a region of space known as the Clarke Belt, which is approximately 22,300 miles above the equator. Each of these satellites carries a number of transponders.

Satellite TV providers install satellite dishes on your property and point them toward the sky. Once the TV signals from the orbiting satellites reach your satellite dish, they run through a cable to the receiver box, which decodes those signals and sends the picture to your TV.