Business Notes TELEVISION

For U.S. television viewers, home satellite dishes have been too costly and cumbersome to win much popularity except in rural areas that lack cable TV. But last week four communications companies disclosed plans for a $1 billion satellite service that could transform American viewing habits when it becomes available in 1993. The four partners -- NBC, Cablevision Systems, Hughes Communications and Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. -- said their Sky Cable service will beam 108 channels to homes equipped with a 12-in. by 18-in. rectangular dish that will cost about $300. Users of the new system, which could carry high-definition TV signals and digital-quality sound, will pay a monthly fee, but the amount has not yet been set.

Other media giants are exploring similar new satellite-dish technologies. Last month a consortium led by General Electric, Time Warner and Tele- Communications said it planned to offer U.S. viewers a ten-channel satellite service by early fall. The companies said the system would deliver basic cable shows to noncable households and additional programming to cable subscribers.