From big black box to slim screen…

television

Televisions can be found in billions of homes around the world. But 100 years ago, nobody even knew what a television was. The first television sets that were installed in homes were like small wooden boxes with grey screens, projecting black and white images. The first ‘television’ system broadcast was a straight-line by Philo Farnsworth on September 7th, 1927. The television has exploded at a greater than exponential growth rate from 1950 to the 1970s. This growth has propelled the television to almost 1 billion units in the late 90s. From its lowly start at an RCA research lab, to becoming the throne of the living room, the television has changed dramatically, but it remained true to its original utility, delivering images to a screen. World Television Day is a day to celebrate the symbol of communication and globalisation that educates, informs, entertains and influences our decisions and opinions, on November 21. It was the UN who created the observation in December 1996 and it has been observed every year since.

Colour television gained popularity in the late 1960s and began to replace black-and-white television in the 1970s. The shape and structure of the television has changed immensely but so has the watching of the television. Tweaking of the antennas and hoping to find a clear enough channel to watch from the very limited number of options available was how people watched television in the earlier days, there were only two types of content to choose from: TV shows and news. It is interesting to note that cable television, initially developed in the 1940s to cater to viewers in rural areas, switched its focus from local to national television, offering an extensive number of channels.

Not only has television as a device changed but watching it and the content on it has been revolutionised in the last decade. Previously, television consisted of family-friendly shows that catered to young children and adults together with stereotypical people; beautiful, tall and thin. Now there has been an insistence for inclusivity for all types of people; from different shapes and sizes to different colours to different abilities and genders.

The television was a communal activity, families and friends would sit and watch it together, and there were discussions of it in schools and offices and on phone calls. It used to unite people in the form of mutual entertainment and interest. Television was celebrated, people on television were celebrated; it was an instrument that brought people together. In the present time, everyone has their own private little screen that they can watch anything on at the comfort of your own home or car or on a plane.

In the past, television was categorised by rigid scheduled programming on a limited number of channels, often broadcasted with a number of advertisements that the viewer had to watch no matter what. Families and friends would gather around television sets at specific times to catch their favourite shows or movies, creating a shared cultural experience; that people still remember. It was a moment where everyone became united, whether it be for sports matches, celebrity interviews on PTV or dramas that were a learning experience.

Fast forward to the present, the mechanism is vastly different. The advent of cable and satellite television expanded the number of available channels, offering viewers more choices in many different languages and adverts that they skip or opt to cancel out for a small fee.

The traditional scheduled programming model witnessed a paradigm shift with the rise of on-demand streaming services granting viewers the freedom to consume content at their convenience. TVs now have entertainment or news from all over the world in any language possible at the press of a button. Viewers are no longer bound by rigid schedules; instead, they have the freedom to watch content whenever, wherever and however they choose. No longer network-driven, the internet has created an era of consumer-driven television. Viewers are more in control of what and when they watch. Instead of tuning in at a specified time, we now can stream the content we choose at all hours of the day, from almost anywhere.

The traditional television set has evolved into smart TVs, equipped with interactive features and internet connectivity. This transformation allows people to access a myriad of applications, browse the web, and engage with content in ways that were previously unimaginable. There is content available for all age groups; from infants to toddlers, to teenagers and adults. The number of movies, shows, educational content is unimaginable at this point. A person can learn how to cook, pass their exams, entertain a baby and know what is happening in Antarctica just by a click of the button. The immense amount of variety television now offers is uncountable at this point.

The landscape of television consumption has witnessed a notable transformation, marked by a decline in traditional cable subscriptions as most people have opted to ‘cut the cord’ in favour of embracing streaming services. Streaming services offer freedom, they don’t have to plan their day according to their favourite television show or the news. Everything is at the tip of your fingers. This notable shift has given rise to a fiercely competitive market; with extremely low prices and with infinite number of options they lure subscribers through the allure of exclusive content and original productions. The television viewing experience has shifted from a communal and scheduled event with limited choices to an individualised, on-demand paradigm. This evolution allows for a diverse array of content to be accessible at any time, from any location, and on various devices. The amalgamation of technological advancements, the globalisation of content, and the ascendancy of streaming services collectively underpin this transformative redefinition in how we humans engage with televised content.