Broadcast Television is a method of sending radio waves from transmitters to antenna receivers that creates visual pictures on television that can be adjusted by individuals and dictated by over-the-air (OTA) television stations. Broadcasting Television shows programs to viewers who tune in to the correct channel may be utilized efficiently for marketing and promotional purposes. Broadcast television was the most popular form of mass media. Amongst the three largest networks, it dominated more than 90 percent of the sitcoms, live events, and news programs that Americans saw. Several social critics have suggested that television contributes to a homogeneous, conformist society by reinforcing perceptions about what “normal” American life looks like. Unlike Broadcasting television, there is a relatively new method of selecting and watching media entertainment: streaming television (also known as “over-the-top” television). With streaming TV, one has more control over what they see and less control over what they do not watch.
Throughout American history, broadcast television has been considered a cultural force for its use as a medium for advertising and communication. For the last few decades, many companies have turned to television as a form of communication with the general public. Television not only markets products but also promotes a wide range of concepts and viewpoints. Recent events suggest that traditional broadcast television is facing increasing levels of competition. The increase in services like Hulu, YouTube, and Netflix is cited as the cause of the pressure. Some claim that younger generations are gradually abandoning broadcast television in favor of internet sources, searching for new methods to access information. It is a common belief that the traditional antenna will be phased out in favor of internet information sources.
ITV, the company responsible for broadcasting the Olympics, claims that sixty percent of the world’s population still watches significant sporting events on television. Simply looking at this figure reveals how influential television can be. Activities quite similar to this are an essential component of the culture of the Americans. Some people may claim that the same athletic events can be observed online. Although this is true, the basic information still belongs to the corporations who broadcast it and organizations like FIFA. The television industry is only experiencing a transition rather than becoming extinct. Advertisement expenditure on broadcast television in the United States has increased by about 40% in recent years, with 8.47 billion dollars in ad sales generated by the main four networks (Guttmann). When one considers that television is widely considered to be on its way out, it is clear that spending so heavily on advertising makes no sense. It is futile to promote a product on a platform that is being abandoned.
Internationally, the relationship between Broadcasting Television remains a powerful advertising medium. Television has had a significant impact on the advertising industry, and despite the competition from other media, it is still a viable and successful way to advertise. The advertising business is becoming more digital, but marketers are still using television to promote their brands despite the development of internet video streaming services. As a result, advertisers choose to utilize American Broadcasting Television (ABC) as a medium for advertising rather than print media because it reaches a wider target group than print media.
Broadcasting television mainly puts its advertising content in a way to convince customers that a particular product has advantages that are worth purchasing. It is widely acknowledged as a very powerful kind of advertising. This channel’s advertising rates are determined by the length of time and frequency of a commercial’s airing. This results in a significant increase in the amount of income that American Broadcasting Television generates. For example, American Broadcasting television depended only on advertising income, unlike other advertising mediums, such as print media that relied on memberships and ticket sales. This created a mutual relationship between American Broadcasting Television and the advertisers.
Businesses may reach a wider audience via streaming TV, which significantly influences advertising. Not to mention a wide range of options for narrowing down your target demographic; there are many streaming providers to choose from nowadays. As a result of this, marketers are able to more precisely target specific demographics and interests via the use of streaming TV. The ability to target a brand’s core audience with numerous demographics within a single campaign is another aspect of this approach.
Streaming TV advertisements are non-skippable and limited to no more than two or three every break, which makes it simpler to convey the message of the advertisements. Additionally, a frequency restriction of three times each watching session may be used to ensure that the message remains top-of-mind for the customer without being obtrusive. With streaming TV advertising, just as with digital programs, one can know where and when advertisements were watched, as well as what kind of device they were viewed.
The research paradigm known as “media effects” focuses on the long-term effects of media usage and exposure. In the study of communication, the term “media effects” often refers to the repercussions of media usage perceived by the particular audience member or message receiver. These effects may be affective, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral consequences that may occur in various contexts, including health, politics, sexuality, education, and persuasion (Allen). Media effects may be influenced by the substance of media messages (such as violence or sexual content), the features of the medium of communication (the effects of screen size), or the specific intersection of media and messages.
The research on media effects may be broken down into two main categories. The first thing to consider is the media. Here, the emphasis is on “real world” media and its messages. When it comes to media effects research, specific messages or message patterns are examined, as well as the effects of messages that are representative of common media messages that are generated just for the purpose of research. So, rather than asking what impacts media could have, one should ask what effects media already have or are likely to have. The idea of effects is the second essential element to keep in mind. This kind of research focuses on the impacts or repercussions of media exposure. Thus, identifying the link between media and its effects is a major focus of researchers in media effects.
Social learning theory is based on the idea that people learn from their own experiences and the behaviors they see in others via the media. According to the theory, observation and everyday contact with others may teach us something about ourselves. As a result of their impressionable nature, adolescents can acquire and swiftly adopt new habits from their surroundings. They do not need to be taught behavior patterns since social contact is a powerful learning tool. Social learning theorists have recognized the importance of media in influencing the social behavior of teenagers as media and its different forms have infiltrated more and more families.
Social learning theory cannot be ignored when it comes to media because of the rapid growth in forms of media over the previous decade. In the beginning, the media could only influence adolescents’ social learning capacities via broadcast and streaming television. Because young people are so heavily exposed to television, media-based social learning has never been more significant. Critiques of the social learning theory point the finger at the media for disseminating material without vetting or screening, expressing concern that this might result in children and adolescents being overexposed to instances of violence and corruption (Leff et al.). Their exposure to these unwanted habits might cause children to develop them. Social learning theory advocates argue that more media exposure will help young brains better appraise situations. For example, parents may notice that their children are becoming more violent due to watching too much television. Instead of just reprimanding their children, parents should raise attention to the plight of youngsters who have been exposed to violent television streaming material.
Some of the essential components of cultivation theory have looked at television’s impact on topics such as gender-role stereotypes, violence, families, health, and, more recently, online gaming and its consequences on psychological health. According to Cultivation Theory, Long-term television watching has long-term implications on viewers’ views of their world (Perera). For cultivation analysis, the underlying assumption is that individuals who watch more television have a more distorted view of reality than persons who care less despite their key demographic characteristics being otherwise equal.
The cultivation analysis method views television as a kind of mass communication consisting of aggregated and recurring patterns of pictures. These patterns’ contents are believed to have been taken in by viewers over an extended period. In addition to influencing individual views, television has a significant effect on society since it is the primary expression of popular culture. Viewers who watch a lot of television tend to have similar beliefs and attitudes, even if they vary in other aspects of life. For example, children’s television-watching habits and how they assimilate information presented in the media are impacted, for instance, by the socially calming effects of their families and the groups of friends they keep. For some people, the social signals they get from their families and friends might overshadow the ones they see on television.
Many of a child’s personality characteristics are formed due to their lifelong exposure to and engagement with television, which includes watching live broadcasts and on-demand content. Adulthood is a time to re-learn the behaviors one learned as a child. Parents need to recognize that controlling their children’s exposure to social learning content in the media may not be a practical choice. This way, this influence can be reduced by parents being able to spend more time attempting to comprehend young people’s thoughts. For example, the vocabulary used by teenagers is quite different from that used by adults, and it is also constantly changing. For instance, the language used by teenagers is quite different from that used by adults, and it is also continually developing.
Works Cited
Allen, Mike. “Media Effects Research.” Sagepub.com, 2017. Web.
Guttmann, A. “Television Advertising in the U.S.”Statista, Statista, 2021.
Leff, Stephen S., et al. “Aggression, Violence, and Delinquency.”Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, 2009, pp. 389–396.
Perera, Ayesh. “Cultivation Theory.”Simplypsychology.org, 2020.