History of Television Broadcasting

The first experiments with television broadcasting were conducted in the 1920's and 1930's in Great Britain and the United States. The British Broadcasting Corporation or BBC started the world’s first television broadcast in 1936. A number of television stations were launched after the First World War in the United States. They were ABC, NBC and CBS. By the early 1950's television programs could be received throughout the United States. By 1960 television became widespread all over the world.

The first television sets were black and white. Black and white televisions functioned on a monochrome color platform, where the images were displayed in grey scale. This technology was upgraded by broadcasting three monochrome images, one of each in three colors of red, green and blue i.e., R G B. When displayed together they produced a full color image on the screen. These types of televisions were later called color television. It was introduced in the early 1950's. During the 50's and 60's the demand for TV sets increased all over the world. The big commercial stations held the monopoly of television broadcasting during that time. This monopoly was broken in the 80's with the rise of cable TV and satellite television. By the mid-1980's there were a variety of satellite and cable services throughout the world. In the 1980’s CNN or the Cable News Network started a new age in the history of television broadcasting. It was the first all-news TV channel in the world. CNN reached the height of its popularity during the Gulf War as the only TV station that was in Iraq covering the Gulf War.

Television stations started giving more emphasis on entertainment programs during the end of 1990's. The reality shows like ‘Who Wants To Be a Millionaire’, ‘Survivor’, ‘Big Brother’, etc., became an immediate success during this time. Versions of these shows are being shown in many countries all over the world.

Reality shows based on dancing and singing also gained popularity over the public during this period.

In the beginning of 21st century new innovations flooded in television manufacturing. One of them is the digital television. In Digital television or D T V the transmission of audio and video is by digitally processed and multiplexed signal, which is entirely different from signals used by analog television sets. The advent of digital television allowed innovations like smart television. Smart television sets are the product of hybrid or convergent technology. It is a combination of television broadcasting and internet. Smart television requires integrated set-top boxes for internet and other facilities. The advent of technology also improved many inventions like 3 D television and made it easily accessible for the public.