B. Television in the UK

Television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936 as public service free of advertising. Now there is a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, among which there are over 480 channels for consumers as well as on-demand content (= on-demand television) where the viewer can watch programming at anytime, not just when it's aired by a network (which is called Linear TV,Linear Programming or Traditional Television).

There are six main channel owners who are responsible for most viewing. As of 24 October 2012, all television broadcasts in the United Kingdom are in a digital format. Digital content is delivered via terrestrial, satellite and cable channels as well as over IPTV (Internet Protocol television system ).

The BBC is a British public service broadcasting corporation. Its main responsibility is to provide impartial public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. It is the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees, with about 23,000 staff. The BBC is headquartered at Broadcasting House in London and has major production centres in Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, and London, and smaller production centres throughout the UK.

The BBC operates several television channels in the UK of which BBC One and BBC Two are the flagship television channels. In addition to these, the BBC operates several digital only stations: BBC Three, BBC Four, BBC News, BBC Parliament, and two children's channels. The most viewed channels are:

· BBC One - a regionalised TV service which provides opt-outs throughout the day for local news and other local programming.

· ITV (Independent Television) which consists of 15 regional television companies. The programmes it broadcasts are financed by commercial advertising.

· BBC Two, which covers a wide range of subject matter, but tends towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio channels, it is funded by the television licence, and is, therefore, commercial-free. It is a comparatively well funded public service network, regularly attaining a much higher audience share than most current public service networks worldwide.

· Channel 4, which broadcasts a wide range of high quality and diverse programming that appeals to the tastes and interests of a culturally diverse society.

· Channel 5, which is a general entertainment channel, with internally commissioned shows such as ‘The Gadget Show’ and ‘Fifth Gear’ appearing alongside numerous international programmes such as ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’, ‘Home and Away’, and ‘Neighbours’.

Satellite television in the UK is generally called ‘Sky’. It is a subscription service owned by British Sky Broadcasting. It is the dominant satellite provider with the largest number of channels compared to other providers. Sky TV also provides video on demand branded as 'On Demand'

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