it does get to be a mess:
https://urgentcomm.com/2009/06/01/good-to-know/
but the cool thing is they add/subtract.
Take a look at this wierd thing. An 18 dB tap with ~1.8dB insertion loss.
The loss is dependent on frequency for one. Coax has a loos per foot with frequency. RG-6 is better than RG-59.
So, if I had 18 db coming in, I'd have 16.2 dB (18-1.8)coming out and I could add another tap and another.
Every tap I use. I lose 1.8 dB. The signal to my set sees 18 dB less than what's coming in.
Large installations might not use a home run approach although now days they are going to IPTV or TV over gigabit or higher Ethernet.
But early hotels would just string a cable and put 1 way taps along it's length. Some of the fancy one, would add a terminator if the TV cable was unplugged.