Television. Otherwise known as that colorful, animated world that we are separated from by merely a thin screen.

A world of endless stories and boundless emotions.

 

For decades this mysterious rectangular shaped object has let us live vicariously. It has naturally become a staple in our daily lives—an escape from reality, a way to connect with someone else. A source of news and entertainment. Television has become this object, this experience, this thing that many of us can no longer live without.

How did we get here? How did television find such a meaningful place in our minds, bodies and souls?

The story of television’s rise is a worthy tale to tell—it is a story at the heart of the digital revolution. Understanding television’s evolution is not only evidence of technology’s mark on modern society, but it grants us a glimpse at what the future of our digital society may hold.

After all, they say that both television and Internet were the causes of print journalism’s remarkable decline. They say, now, that the newspaper is near its death. This makes us wonder—will Internet itself trigger the death of television? With the Internet’s force growing at every second, there is already evidence that makes us question television’s future. The TV industry that exists today may be at serious risk.

We are here to speculate on the changes that the industry will be facing—particularly in light of the Internet and the many emerging means of obtaining television. On Demand, Netflix, Hulu, DVR—the choice is yours.

How do we define television in the modern context then? We must first begin by looking at the American television industry and understanding how it began.

The first electronic television picture was actually produced in 1927, followed shortly after by network television that was introduced in 1939 by NBC. Next emerged two other network giants, CBS and ABC, which have stayed with us to this day.

The end of WII marks a period in history when television began exploding and we saw the first rise in TV shows. Presidents began addressing the camera, dramas unfolded on the screen, game shows entertained families, sports fans cheered from their homes—there was something for everyone.

In 1964 color broadcasting on prime-time television began. More importantly, the establishment of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 1967 made it clear that public television wasn’t going anywhere. PBS, Public Broadcasting System, became a noncommercial, public television network. The variety of shows being produced and aired only continued to increase up a steep slope.

The “Big Three” networks’ domination was first affected by the emergence of cable networks—the first pay cable network being Home Box Office (HBO) in 1975. Yes, the network that produces and airs our beloved Game of Thrones. We then saw the emergence of many other cable networks such as the WTBS Superstation, ESPN, Showtime and Nickelodeon.

In the 1980s Ted Turner launched CNN, or the Cable News Network, which we all are very familiar with today. The 1980s saw a dramatic rise in cable networks offered to audiences and a general growth of the cable industry. Channels such as The Disney Channel, E! Entertainment Television, Turner Network Television and Discovery Channel entered the arena. The number of cable networks boomed even further throughout the 1990s as cable technology improved and direct-broadcast satellite television brought viewers more channels. Broadcast networks increased as well.

 

This left us with the industry that we have today—only more advanced. Now we have hundreds of networks and channels to surf through on our television screens. We have the luxury of several cable and satellite providers to choose from when deciding how to get access to these channels and which package is best—examples being Dish Network or Comcast. We have the options of DVR, On Demand and subscription VOD, such as Netflix and Hulu Plus. Television is even readily available from our many devices thanks to the Internet, and streaming has been made as easy as the click of a button. Cable and satellite companies are now scrambling to find ways in which to hang on to their subscribers, with all the new competition we’ve seen appear over the past several years.

 

We are undeniably living in an era of cord-cutters, and the threat of cord-nevers is palpable. The digital revolution of television has only just begun.