Streaming television facts for kids

Streaming television is a way to watch TV shows and movies using the Internet. Instead of getting TV through old-fashioned cables, satellites, or antennas, you stream it online. It's like getting your favorite shows delivered right to your screen through your internet connection!

How Streaming TV Started

For a long time, people didn't think it was possible to send TV shows over regular telephone cables. The internet wasn't fast enough! A digital TV signal needed a lot of bandwidth, which is like the size of the "road" for data. Old phone lines were too small.

But then, two big things changed everything:

• Video compression: New ways to make video files smaller, like MPEG.
• Faster internet: Technologies like ADSL made internet connections much quicker.

The very first live-streaming event for the whole world was a baseball game in 1995. It was a radio broadcast, but it showed what was possible!

In the mid-2000s, streaming really started to grow. Companies like Microsoft and Netflix developed their own ways to stream. In 2009, Apple launched HTTP Live Streaming (HLS), and Adobe followed with their own in 2010. These new technologies made streaming much smoother.

Early Streaming Services

Around 2005, TV shows started appearing on the internet.

• YouTube launched in 2005. People could share videos, and soon, TV shows (sometimes illegally posted) appeared there. YouTube's creators got the idea after they couldn't find videos of big news events online.
• Apple's iTunes started offering TV shows for download in 2005. You paid for each show.
• Amazon Video (then called Amazon Unbox) began in 2006.
• Netflix, which used to just rent out DVDs, started offering streaming in 2007.
• Hulu launched in 2008, and CBS launched tv.com in 2009.

Special devices also came out to help people stream TV on their screens. The first Apple TV was released in 2007, and the first Roku streaming device came out in 2008.

Smart TVs and Mobile Streaming

After 2010, Smart TVs became very popular. These TVs have internet built-in, so you can stream directly on them. By 2015, almost all new mid-to-high-end TVs were smart TVs.

Streaming also moved to smartphones and tablet computers. Mobile apps for streaming became popular in the 2010s as phone networks got faster. Now, you can watch your favorite shows almost anywhere!

Awards for Streaming Shows

Streaming TV became so big that it started winning major awards.

• In 2013, Netflix made history by getting the first Primetime Emmy Award nominations for streaming shows like House of Cards.
• Later, Hulu won an Emmy for Best Drama Series with The Handmaid's Tale.

Even traditional TV companies like Dish Network (with Sling TV) and DirecTV (with DirecTV Now) started offering their own streaming services to keep up.

By 2017, many adults in the US said streaming was their main way to watch TV. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic made streaming even more popular as people stayed home.

How Streaming Works

Streaming TV uses the Internet Protocol (IP) to send video and audio. Think of IP as the language computers use to talk to each other over the internet.

Access and Parental Controls

Some streaming services use special technology to protect content from being copied. This is called digital rights management.

Many services also have parental controls. These let parents "lock" certain shows with a password to prevent younger kids from watching things that aren't for their age. Some services might ask for your birth date to check if you're old enough for certain content.

Internet TV vs. IPTV

There are two main ways TV content is delivered using the internet:

• Internet TV (Over-the-top or OTT): This is what most people think of when they say "streaming." It uses the regular, open public Internet. Services like Netflix and YouTube are OTT. You buy your own streaming device or use a smart TV.
• IPTV: This is usually offered by your internet or cable company. It uses a special, private network that only that company controls. This means the company can guarantee a good quality picture because the data doesn't travel over the busy public internet.

Here's a simple way to see the difference:

Streaming Quality

Streaming quality means how clear the picture and sound are when you watch a show. This is measured by things like resolution, which is the number of pixels in the image.

• HD video (like 720p or 1080p) needs a faster internet connection than older, lower-quality video.
• 4K Ultra HD needs an even faster connection!

If your internet connection isn't fast enough, the picture might look blurry or "break up." Most streaming services use something called adaptive bitrate streaming. This means if your internet slows down, the service will automatically lower the video quality so your show doesn't stop playing. It's like a smart system that adjusts to your internet speed!

How People Use Streaming

Internet TV is very common in homes today. Many people now use smartphones and other mobile devices to watch shows. In 2022, for the first time ever, more people in the US watched streaming TV than regular cable TV!

Many TV networks also put their shows online the day after they air, often on services like Hulu or their own websites like BBC iPlayer. This means you don't have to wait to catch up on your favorite shows.

Some people are "cord cutters." These are people who cancel their traditional cable or satellite TV subscriptions and choose to watch everything through streaming services instead. Younger people often prefer to be cord cutters.

Popular Streaming Platforms

Netflix

Netflix logo

Netflix started in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph. At first, it was a DVD rental service where you picked movies online and got them by mail. In 2007, Netflix started letting people watch some movies and TV shows directly online. By 2010, they offered a streaming-only plan. Netflix grew very fast and is now available in over 190 countries! In 2011, Netflix began making its own shows, like House of Cards.

Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video logo

Amazon Prime Video launched in 2006. It's part of Amazon Prime, which also gives you free shipping on Amazon products. Amazon Prime Video is available in about 200 countries and invests a lot in making its own movies and TV series.

Hulu

Hulu logo

Hulu was created in 2007. Unlike many other services, it's mostly available only in the United States because of special agreements. A cool thing about Hulu is that it often streams TV shows just a few days after they are shown on regular TV, but they might only be available for a limited time. In 2019, Disney became the main owner of Hulu.

YouTube

Youtube logo

Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim started YouTube in 2005. It became super popular when a short video from Saturday Night Live called "Lazy Sunday" went viral. People searched for it online and found it on YouTube, which helped the site grow quickly. Google bought YouTube in 2006, and it soon became the second-largest search engine in the world!

Max

Max logo

Max is a streaming service from Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched in the US in May 2020. Max offers classic Warner Bros. movies and its own shows. It also has the special right to show Studio Ghibli films in the United States. New movies from Warner Bros. often come to Max about 45 days after they are in movie theaters.

Binge-watching

Binge-watching means watching many episodes of a TV show one after another, often an entire season in a short time. This idea became popular with the rise of DVDs. But it really took off with streaming TV, especially after Netflix released its first original show, House of Cards, in 2013 and encouraged people to watch all the episodes at once.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, binge-watching became even more common. For many people, watching TV shows during lockdowns was a way to relax and feel better.

Broadcasting Rights

Broadcasting rights (or streaming rights) decide where and when certain shows can be watched. These rights mean that only one company can show a specific movie or TV show at a time in a certain country.

For example, BBC iPlayer checks your internet address to make sure you are in the UK. This is because people in the UK pay for a TV license that helps fund the BBC, so they get free access. Sometimes, people use a VPN to make it look like they are in a different country to access content.

Companies pay a lot of money for these rights, especially for sports and popular TV shows.

Costs of Streaming

Many streaming services are available now. The main ones are Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. Some services, like Hulu, have ads and a monthly fee. Others, like Netflix and Amazon, charge a monthly fee but have no commercials. Netflix is the biggest, with over 217 million members!

The rise of internet TV has led to many people becoming "cord cutters." These are people who cancel their traditional cable or satellite TV subscriptions and choose to stream all their shows and movies online instead.

Overview of Platforms

See also

In Spanish: Televisión por internet para niños