A receiving apparatus receives digital broadcast signals from a plurality of broadcasting companies in different receiving modes from each other at low cost. It is determined to what limited receiving mode an IC card, mounted to an IC card interface section, corresponds. When the IC card is an effective IC card which corresponds to the limited receiving mode of an output stream selected by the user, a CPU performs control in such a manner that the limited receiving processing is conducted for the output stream by use of the contract information and the scramble key information controlled by the IC card. Specifically, when reception of the program designated by the user through a selecting operation is limited, the CPU allows a descrambling section to unscramble the output stream, so that the user can watch and listen to the program. By simply exchanging the IC cards mounted on the interface section, it becomes possible to receive the digital broadcast signals from the broadcasting companies.