Commercial broadcasting (also called private broadcasting) is the broadcasting of television programs and radio programming by privately owned corporate media, as opposed to state sponsorship, for example. It was the United States' first model of radio (and later television) during the 1920s, in contrast with the public television model during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, which prevailed worldwide, except in the United States, Mexico, and Brazil, until the 1980s.
Commercial broadcasting is primarily based on the practice of airing radio advertisements and television advertisements for profit. This is in contrast to public broadcasting, which receives government subsidies and usually does not have paid advertising interrupting the show. During pledge drives, some public broadcasters will interrupt shows to ask for donations.
In the United States, non-commercial educational (NCE) television and radio exist in the form of community radio; however, premium cable services such as HBO and Showtime generally operate solely on subscriber fees and do not sell advertising. This is also the case for the portions of the two major satellite radio systems that are produced in-house (mainly music programming).
Radio broadcasting originally began without paid commercials. As time went on, however, advertisements seemed less objectionable to both the public and government regulators and became more common. While commercial broadcasting was unexpected in radio, in television it was planned due to commercial radio's success. Television began with commercial sponsorship and later transformed to paid commercial time. When problems arose over patents and corporate marketing strategies, regulatory decisions were made by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to control commercial broadcasting. [1]
Commercial broadcasting overlaps with paid services such as cable television, radio and satellite television. Such services are generally partially or wholly paid for by local subscribers and is known as leased access. Other programming (particularly on cable television) is produced by companies operating in much the same manner as advertising-funded commercial broadcasters, and they (and often the local cable provider) sell commercial time in a similar manner.
The FCC's interest in program control began with the chain-broadcasting investigation of the late 1930s, culminating in the "Blue Book" of 1946, Public Service Responsibility For Broadcast Licensees. The Blue Book differentiated between mass-appeal sponsored programs and unsponsored "sustaining" programs offered by the radio networks. This sustained programming, according to the Blue Book, had five features serving the public interest:
Commercial time has increased 31 seconds per hour for all prime time television shows. For example, ABC has increased from 9 minutes and 26 seconds to 11 minutes and 26 seconds. [2]
Programming on commercial stations is more ratings-driven— particularly during periods such as sweeps in the US and some Latin American countries.
Commercial broadcasting is the dominant type of broadcasting in the United States and most of Latin America. "The US commercial system resulted from a carefully crafted cooperation endeavor by national corporations and federal regulators." [3]
The best-known commercial broadcasters in the United States today are the ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC television networks, based in the United States. Major cable television in the United States operators include Comcast, Charter Communications and Cox Communications. Direct-broadcast satellite (DBS) services include DirecTV and Dish Network.
In an hour of broadcast time on a commercial broadcasting station, 10 to 20 minutes are typically devoted to advertising. Advertisers pay a certain amount of money to air their commercials, usually based upon program ratings or the audience measurement of a station or network. This makes commercial broadcasters more accountable to advertisers than public broadcasting, a disadvantage of commercial radio and television.
In Europe, commercial broadcasting coexists with public broadcasting (where programming is largely funded by broadcast receiver licenses, public donations or government grants).
In the UK, Sky UK is available and WorldSpace Satellite Radio was available.
The best and most known commercial broadcasters in Asia are the South Korean radio and television networks SBS, Hong Kong television networks TVB, Taiwanese television networks FTV and Philippine radio and television networks GMA Network.
Contemporary hit radio in bold.
& Borno Radio Television (BRTV)
The mass media in Poland consist of several different types of communications media including television, radio, cinema, newspapers, magazines, and Internet.
TV5 is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network headquartered in Mandaluyong, with additional studios in Novaliches, Quezon City. It serves as the flagship network of TV5 Network, Inc., which is owned by MediaQuest Holdings, the multimedia subsidiary of the telecommunications conglomerate PLDT. TV5 is known as "The 'Kapatid' Network," using the Filipino term for "sibling," a branding introduced in 2010.
RCTI is a West Jakarta-based Indonesian free-to-air television broadcaster. It is best known for its soap operas, celebrity bulletins, news, and sports programmes. It was first launched in 1989, originally as a local pay television operator that broadcasts mostly foreign programmes, before switching to free-to-air terrestrial network a year later.
PT Global Informasi Bermutu, operating as GTV, which is an initialism derived from its previous name, Global TV, is an Indonesian free-to-air television network. It was launched on 8 October 2002. Originally a music television channel as MTV broadcaster in Indonesia and Asia, it was one of the first television network in the world to broadcast MTV for 24 hours a day free-to-air over UHF. GTV shifted its focus to general entertainment programming targeting young adults. Currently, the broadcaster airs news, soap opera, reality and game shows, along with Nickelodeon animation series and anime, making up its programming schedule. It is owned by Media Nusantara Citra (MNC), which also owns RCTI, MNCTV and iNews.
ANTV is an Indonesian free-to-air television broadcaster based in South Jakarta. It is owned by Visi Media Asia (Viva), part of the Bakrie Group.
This is a list of notable media outlets in Zamboanga City, a city in the Zamboanga Peninsula administrative region of the Philippines. Although geographically separated, and an independent and chartered city, Zamboanga City is grouped with the province of Zamboanga del Sur for statistical purposes, yet governed independently from it.
MNC Vision, previously known as Indovision, is a direct-to-home satellite television and radio service that operates in Indonesia on a subscription basis. It is owned by PT MNC Vision Networks Tbk, which is a subsidiary of MNC Asia Holding. MNC Vision is the first and oldest subscription-based television service in Indonesia.
MTV Indonesia was an MTV-affiliated Indonesian television network. The network, which originally launched on May 5, 1995 on ANteve, was the fifth affiliate launched under the MTV brand. In 2002, it was one of the first MTV-affiliates to broadcast for 24 hours a day free-to-air over UHF. MTV Indonesia was part of the programming block on ANteve along with other MTV Asia programs. It moved to the newly inaugurated Global TV network on March 7, 2002. It ceased broadcasting on November 1, 2015.
PT MNC Televisi Indonesia, operating as MNCTV is an Indonesian private free-to-air television broadcaster. It was founded on 23 January 1990, at first broadcasting only educational programmes, but has since become similar to other Indonesian TV networks, showing programs such as quizzes, sinetron, reality TV shows, sports shows, newscasts, and recently, dangdut music.
Aksyon TV was a Philippine free-to-air television network. It was a joint venture of Nation Broadcasting Corporation and TV5 Network, Inc., both under PLDT media arm MediaQuest Holdings. Its programs were primarily produced by TV5's divisions News5 and ESPN5. AksyonTV formerly broadcasts terrestrially through DWNB-TV in Metro Manila, as well as on UHF channel 29 in Cebu, Davao and other relay stations, and on a digital subchannel via channel 5.2 in Metro Manila. It occupies the frequency previously used by MTV Philippines, a subsidiary of MTV Networks Asia Pacific from 2001 until 2006.
TV5 Network Inc., commonly known as TV5, is a Philippine media company headquartered in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. It primarily operates in radio and television broadcasting and oversees a range of subsidiaries and affiliates engaged in various media-related ventures. TV5 is owned by MediaQuest Holdings, a subsidiary of Philippine telecommunications giant PLDT managed through its Beneficial Trust Fund. The company is led by prominent business tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan.
NET is an Indonesian free-to-air private-owned television broadcaster launched on 26 May 2013. It replaced Spacetoon on terrestrial feed. The channel's programming is focused towards family and young-adult viewers, with recent programs are geared for children and women audiences. NET airs 24-hours a day. It broadcasts not only through terrestrial television, but also on social platforms and YouTube.