Television broadcaster facts for kids
A television network is like a big company that sends TV shows to many homes. It's a system that provides programs from one main place to lots of local TV stations, or to companies that offer TV through cable or satellite. For a long time, especially before the 1980s, most TV in the world came from just a few big networks. Many early TV networks, like the BBC in the UK, CBS and NBC in the USA, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Australia, actually started out as radio networks.
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What is a TV Network?
Sometimes, people use words like "television network," "television channel" (which is a number or frequency), and "television station" (the local place that broadcasts) to mean the same thing. But in the TV world, they are a bit different. A network is the main company that creates or buys shows. A television station is the local place that broadcasts those shows in your area.
Most networks send the same shows to all their local stations at the same time. These local stations often act like big "repeater stations" that just send out the network's signal. But sometimes, a network's main control center can take over a local station's programming if something big happens, like breaking news.
In places like North America, many TV networks you watch on cable or satellite are called "channels." They are different from traditional networks because they don't have local stations. Instead, they send their shows directly to cable or satellite companies. These are often called "specialty channels" or "cable networks."
A network doesn't always make all its own shows. They might buy programs from other companies like Warner Bros. Television or Universal Television. It's common for one production company to have shows on different rival networks! Networks also sometimes show programs from other countries or old shows to fill their schedules.
Local TV stations can sometimes interrupt the network's programs. They might show their own commercials, say their station name, or broadcast emergency alerts. Some stations even stop showing network programs completely to air their own local shows. This is called regional variation.
Modern TV networks use special computer systems called broadcast automation to handle many tasks. These systems help with scheduling shows and making sure everything plays smoothly. They use very accurate time signals to keep everything perfectly in sync, so the shows look seamless to you.
TV Networks Around the World
United Kingdom
The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) was the first TV network in the UK. It started regular high-quality TV broadcasts in 1936. The BBC is owned by the British government. It is mostly paid for by a special "television license" fee that people in the UK pay if they watch TV. Because of this, you won't see commercials on BBC channels in the UK. Outside the UK, they do show ads.
In 1955, commercial TV started in the UK, creating a second network called ITV. Instead of one company owning all the local channels, each local area had its own ITV channel. These channels shared many programs, especially during prime viewing hours.
Later, the BBC launched a second channel, BBC 2, and the original became BBC 1. Then came Channel 4, another commercial network. Channel 5 launched later. With digital TV, the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Channel 5 now have many more channels. Companies like Sky and UKTV also run many channels.
Sweden
Sweden only had one TV network from 1956 until the early 1990s: the public broadcaster Sveriges Television (SVT). Commercial TV companies started their own networks in the 1980s, but they were only on satellite TV at first. In 1991, TV4 became the first commercial network in Sweden to broadcast over the air. Most TV shows in Sweden are planned from a central place, except for local news on SVT2 and TV4.
Netherlands
Before 1989, Netherlands Public Broadcasting was the only TV network in the Netherlands, with three channels: Nederland 1, Nederland 2, and Nederland 3. Instead of one company making all the shows, different public broadcasting groups create programs for these channels. Today, two main commercial networks, RTL Nederland and SBS Broadcasting, run seven commercial channels.
Russia
The first TV network in the Soviet Union started in 1938. By 1989, there were six TV networks, all owned by the government. This changed when the first independent TV network, 2×2, launched.
After the Soviet Union broke up, most of the old networks changed or closed. Ostankino Channel One was one that continued. This opened up space for new private TV networks like NTV and TV-6 in the mid-1990s.
In the 2000s, the Russian government became more involved in TV. Some private networks faced changes or even closed down. Today, the four largest TV networks (Channel One, Russia 1, NTV, and Russia 2) are owned by the state. However, some independent networks like REN and the relaunched 2×2 have also grown. The main TV companies in Russia today are Channel One, Russia 1, NTV, TNT, and CTC.
Brazil
The biggest commercial TV network in Brazil is Rede Globo, which started in 1965. It became a huge media company, involved in TV, radio, newspapers, and the internet. Other networks in Brazil include Rede Bandeirantes, RecordTV, SBT, RedeTV!, TV Cultura, and TV Brasil.
Australia
Australia has two national public networks: ABC Television and SBS. The ABC has eight stations for its main network, ABC TV, one for each state and territory. It also has three digital-only networks: ABC Kids / ABC TV Plus, ABC Me, and ABC News. SBS runs six stations: SBS, SBS Viceland, SBS World Movies, SBS Food, NITV, and SBS WorldWatch.
The first commercial networks in Australia were groups of commercial stations in big cities like Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane that shared programs. These formed networks like the Nine Network, Seven Network, and Network 10. Before 1989, rural areas often had only one commercial station. But then, these rural areas started getting more TV options, allowing them to become full-time parts of the bigger city networks.
Besides these free-to-air channels, there are also many channels on Australia's pay TV network, Foxtel.
New Zealand
New Zealand has one public network, Television New Zealand (TVNZ). It has two main networks: TVNZ 1, which shows news, current events, sports, and most local and imported shows. TVNZ's second network, TV2, mostly airs imported shows and some local programs like Shortland Street. TVNZ also has a channel just for pay TV, TVNZ Heartland.
New Zealand also has several private TV networks. The largest is run by MediaWorks. Their main network is TV3, which competes with TVNZ. MediaWorks also has a second network, FOUR, which shows mostly imported programs, with kids' shows during the day and shows for teens and young adults in prime time.
All TV networks in New Zealand show the same programs across the whole country. The only differences are for local commercials. In the 1960s, TV in New Zealand was run by four separate local stations. They each had their own news and some local shows. Programs were sent by mail from one region to another! A national network was finally set up in 1969, sending the same shows to all regions at once. Today, many local shows are made by separate production companies, not by the networks themselves.
New Zealand also has several regional TV stations. These are only available in specific local areas. They usually have local news, some in-house shows, and cover local sports. Most of their other programs are imported.
Philippines
In the Philippines, "network," "station," and "channel" are often used to mean the same thing. This is because most programs are planned centrally by the networks' main offices. Local stations usually just re-broadcast what the main network station (often in the Mega Manila area) is showing.
Networks made up of VHF stations are sometimes called by their channel number in the Mega Manila area. For example, Channel 4 for People's Television Network or Channel 7 for GMA Network. Some networks even include their channel numbers in their name, like TV5 (Channel 5) or Net 25 (Channel 25).
Unlike the United States, where networks get shows from many different production companies, the two biggest networks in the Philippines make all their own prime-time shows. Other networks use a "block-time programming" system, which is similar to how a US network works with its local stations.
United States TV Networks
Television in the United States was once mostly controlled by the "Big Three" networks: the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), CBS, and the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). However, the Fox Broadcasting Company (Fox), which started in 1986, has become very popular and is now part of the "Big Four."
The Big Four networks send many programs to their local stations, including news, prime-time shows, daytime shows, and sports. But they also leave time each day for local stations to air their own programs, like local news or shows bought from other companies (called syndicated programs). Since Fox started, more American TV networks have appeared, but they often provide fewer hours of programming. For example, The CW only provides 14 hours of prime-time shows each week, and MyNetworkTV only 10 hours. This means their local stations have to fill a lot of time with syndicated shows. Other networks focus on special programs, like religious content or shows in languages other than English, especially Spanish.
The largest TV network in the United States is the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). This is a non-profit, publicly owned, educational service. Unlike commercial networks, PBS doesn't have one central programming plan. Each local PBS station has a lot of freedom to schedule the shows they want. Some public TV stations, like PBS, also have extra digital channels that show different programs.
This system works because each network sends its signal to many local TV stations across the country. These local stations then broadcast the "network feed," which millions of homes can watch. Depending on the network's size, the signal might go to over 200 stations or just a dozen.
With the arrival of digital TV, new networks have been created just for these extra digital channels. These include networks that show classic TV series and movies, or channels focused on music, sports, and other specific interests.
Cable and satellite companies pay networks a certain amount of money for each person who subscribes to their service. For example, ESPN gets more than $5.00 per subscriber. These providers also handle selling local commercials during national programs, and they might share the money with the broadcaster. Networks that show home shopping or infomercials might actually pay the station or cable provider to carry their programs. This is common for smaller TV stations, especially those that used this money to switch to digital broadcasts, which gave them more channels to use.
History of US TV Networks
TV broadcasting in the United States was greatly influenced by radio. Early experimental radio stations started in the 1910s. In 1920, Westinghouse launched KDKA in Pittsburgh, which was called "the world's first commercially licensed radio station." Other companies built early radio stations in different cities. Radio stations needed special licenses from the government to broadcast.
Making programs was expensive, so the idea of a network system was born. This system would send programs to many stations at once. This saved each station money because they didn't have to create all their own shows. It also made the programs available to more people than just one station could reach.
NBC created the first permanent coast-to-coast radio network in the United States by 1928. It used special telephone lines to connect individual radio stations. NBC's sound signal was sent from station to station, reaching listeners all over the country. Other companies, like CBS and the Mutual Broadcasting System, soon did the same. Each network signed up hundreds of local stations that agreed to broadcast their programs.
As radio grew in the 1920s and 1930s, experimental TV stations started broadcasting both sound and video. These early TV stations often got their licenses from experienced radio broadcasters. As interest in TV grew, the idea of networking TV signals (sending one station's video and audio to other stations) also came about. However, TV signals are much bigger than radio signals and needed a special way to be sent long distances.
Researchers at AT&T invented coaxial cable in 1929. This cable could carry many phone calls at once, and it was also great for sending TV signals over long distances. In 1936, German TV showed this by sending televised phone calls 180 km away by cable.
AT&T laid the first coaxial cable between New York City and Philadelphia. In 1937, they experimented with sending TV shows over the line. They showed off the New York–Philadelphia TV link in 1940 and 1941. AT&T used the cable to send the Republican National Convention in June 1940 from Philadelphia to New York City. It was then shown on NBC's station W2XBS (which later became WNBC).
NBC had already shown an inter-city TV broadcast in 1940, from New York City to Schenectady, New York, using General Electric relay antennas. They started sending some programs regularly to Philadelphia and Schenectady in 1941. World War II stopped the making of TV and radio equipment for regular use from 1942 to 1945, which paused the growth of TV networks. However, in 1944, a short film was broadcast at the same time over three stations as an experiment.
After the war, AT&T added a 225-mile cable between New York City and Washington, D.C., in 1946. The DuMont Television Network, which had done experimental broadcasts before the war, launched what was called "the country's first permanent commercial television network" on August 15, 1946. It connected New York City with Washington. Not to be outdone, NBC launched its own network on June 27, 1947, serving New York City, Philadelphia, Schenectady, and Washington. Baltimore and Boston were added to NBC's network in late 1947. DuMont and NBC were joined by CBS and ABC in 1948.
In the 1940s, people used the term "chain broadcasting" because TV stations were linked in long chains along the East Coast. But as TV networks grew westward, the connected stations formed major networks of affiliated stations. In January 1949, with DuMont's WDTV in Pittsburgh starting up, the Midwest and East Coast networks were finally connected by coaxial cable. By 1951, the four networks stretched from coast to coast, carried on AT&T's new microwave radio relay network. Only a few local TV stations remained independent of the networks.
Each of the four main TV networks originally only broadcast a few hours of programs a week to their local stations, mostly in the evening when most people were watching TV. Most of the programs shown by local TV stations were still made locally. But as the networks started airing more programs, government officials worried that local TV might disappear. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) then made a rule called the Prime Time Access Rule. This rule limited how much time networks could air programs. Officials hoped this would encourage local stations to make their own quality programs. However, most local stations didn't want the work of producing many shows. Instead, they chose to buy programs from independent producers. Selling TV programs to individual local stations is called "broadcast syndication." Today, almost every TV station in the US gets syndicated programs in addition to network shows.
Later in the 20th century, satellites replaced the cross-country microwave radio relays. Some land-based radio relays are still used for regional connections.
After DuMont closed in 1956, several attempts were made to start new networks between the 1950s and 1970s, but they didn't have much success. The Fox Broadcasting Company, started by Rupert Murdoch's company, launched on October 9, 1986. It eventually became the fourth major network by 1994. Two other networks launched in January 1995: The WB Television Network and the United Paramount Network (UPN). In September 2006, The CW was launched as a "merger" of The WB and UPN, combining their popular shows onto one schedule. MyNetworkTV, a network for stations that didn't join The CW, launched at the same time.
Regulation in the US
The FCC in the United States had rules that limited how many TV stations one network, company, or person could own. This led to a system where most local TV stations were owned independently, but they got programs from a network through a contract. Only in a few big cities did networks own their own stations directly.
In the early days of TV, when there were often only one or two stations in an area, stations would often be connected to multiple networks and could choose which programs to air. Later, as more stations got licenses, it became common for each station to be connected to only one network and show all of that network's prime-time programs. However, local stations sometimes break away from scheduled network programming, especially when there's breaking news or severe weather in their area. Also, when stations return from commercials, you'll see their station ID for a few seconds before the network's logo appears.
Canada TV Networks
In Canada, the word "network" can mean different things to different people. The law defines a network as any operation where control over programs or schedules is given to another company or person. These networks must be licensed by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
Currently, only three national over-the-air TV networks are licensed by the CRTC: the government-owned CBC Television (English) and Ici Radio-Canada Télé (French), the French-language private network TVA, and APTN, which focuses on Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Licensed national or provincial networks must be carried by all cable and satellite providers in their area if the population is above a certain size. However, they don't always have to reach every area over the air.
Besides these licensed networks, the two main private English-language over-the-air services, CTV and Global, are also generally seen as "networks" because they cover the whole country, even though they aren't officially licensed as such anymore.
Smaller groups of stations with similar names are often called "television systems." Some of these, like CTV 2, act like mini-networks but cover smaller areas. Others, like Omni Television, have similar names and focus on certain types of programs, but their schedules can be very different from one station to another. Citytv started as a television system and gradually became a network by expanding across Canada.
Most local TV stations in Canada are now owned directly by their network. Only a few stations still operate as independent affiliates.
Philippines TV Networks
In the Philippines, the terms "network," "station," and "channel" are often used interchangeably. This is because most programming is planned centrally by the networks' main offices. Provincial and regional stations usually just re-broadcast what the main network station (usually in the Mega Manila area) is showing.
Networks made up of VHF stations are sometimes informally called by their over-the-air channel number in the Mega Manila area. For example, Channel 4 for People's Television Network or Channel 7 for GMA Network. Some networks even include their channel numbers in their name, like TV5 (VHF channel 5), Studio 23 (UHF channel 23), and Net 25 (UHF channel 25).
Unlike the United States, where networks get programs from various production companies, the two largest networks in the Philippines produce all their own prime-time programs. Other networks use a "block-time programming" system, which is similar to how a U.S. network works with its local stations.
See also
- Broadcast network
- Cable television in the United States
- List of television networks by country
- Television system
