Television Networks

Abstract

Television networks are organizations that produce or acquire the rights to TV programs, which are centrally distributed to affiliated stations where they are scheduled at uniform time slots. The distribution of content to geographically dispersed stations can occur using a variety of technical systems, involving traditional over‐the‐air electromagnetic broadcasting, cable, satellite, and now digital transmission. The history of television networks has been influenced by two principal broadcast network models: the public service broadcasting (PSB) model (→ Public Broadcasting Systems; Public Broadcasting, History of), epitomized in the English speaking world by the British Broadcasting Corporation (→ BBC), and by the for‐profit commercial model, associated with television networks in the United States.