Televisions were once novel for transmitting moving images and sound, but they've become a household item — and new technology continues to improve them. According to Statista data from 2019-20, nearly 120.6 million households in the United States have at least one television set. In 2019, Nielsen reported that 65 percent of households in the United States had smart televisions and 70 percent had a video-on-demand subscription.
Television facilitates one-way communication between the sender and the receiver. This allows the sender to persuade, entertain, inform and empower the audience.
Television as a Medium of Advertising
Television is widely used as a mass medium for advertising. Due to its ability to reach a massive number of households, TV has become a powerful way to promote products and services. For decades, television channels have sold blocks of broadcast time to fund their programs. Commercials that span a few seconds to a minute (or longer) appear between shows, sporting events and news broadcasts, all communicating about different products and services. Depending on the popularity of the television program and the timespan given to the commercial, the channel can charge a high amount to the advertiser.
With the growing popularity of streaming services such as Hulu and Netflix, advertisers are still creating commercials for their products, but they also have to get creative — many people pay to remove ads altogether. One example is placing sponsored products in shows.
News Broadcasting through Television
News broadcasting is one of the major uses of television in communication. Some of the major news broadcasters in the United States are CNN, MSNBC and Fox News. According to research conducted by the Pew Research Centre in 2018, nearly 47 percent of Americans prefer watching the news on television. News broadcasting has helped people gain an understanding of current political, economic and social affairs.
Television as a Means of Communication
Latest technologies are converting televisions into streaming platforms that facilitate video calls. For instance, an iPhone or iPad user can use Apple’s AirPlay feature to stream a video call onto their TV. Similarly, an Android user can stream video calls on their TV with the help of Google Chromecast — in fact, any phone user with a Chromecast can project YouTube or Netflix onto their TVs.
Several smart televisions integrated with web camera are available in the market. For example, Panasonic-PVT60, LG LA9600 and Samsung F7500 have in-built web cameras that allow people to video chat from supported applications. If the television does not have an in-built camera, users can purchase a separate web camera like Facebook Portal TV or Logitech TV Cam and connect it to their TV. This allows two-way communication via a television, though it's between friends and family.
The Positive Effect of Television in Communication
Television communication can have a positive effect on all age groups of people if used properly. For instance, it acts as a catalyst for children to read and learn new things. Educational programs on TV help young people develop socialization skills and enable them to share an experience they wouldn't have otherwise. For example, television programs on history and current events help young people understand various cultures and happenings across the globe, then develop a perspective on the world’s political and economic environment. In addition, documentaries help people develop critical thinking skills.
On the flip side, watching television for more time would result in less interaction between children and parents. It can also harm the language and learning skills of children if they watch too much TV as they develop.