During the early 1990s, Sega launched an online game service for the Sega Genesis called the Sega Channel. The service, which was distributed via cable television systems and required an internet connection, wasn't very well-known across the wider gaming community and didn't gain a lot of traction, but it was the progenitor of the modern subscription service in many ways. Subscribers to the Sega Channel got access to an assortment of about 50 different Sega Genesis games each month, which were rotated on a regular basis. They also got access to demos for upcoming Sega games and even cheat codes for select titles. Despite being innovative for its time, the Sega Channel was ultimately shuttered in 1998, only four years after it launched.