How did television develop to a popular form of entertainment?

Answer 1

Back in the 1920s, television was nothing more than experimental. Baird in the UK and Farnsworth in the US produced working systems that by today's standards were hideous quality and extremely limited. Make no mistake, they both made huge contributions to television and their work was outstanding.

By the middle of the 20th century, television had progressed to a reasonable quality and was in color as well.

Once television had reached that threshold, broadcasters found more and more ways of capturing content including outside broadcasts, dramas, comedy, sport and news. For the first time, people could have a huge range of entertainment delivered right to their homes. It is this ease of use that has driven television to be such a popular medium for entertainment.

Television has also proved to be a very low cost form of entertainment. Consider the cost of the television, monthly subscriptions, licences etc and compare it to the cost of a live stage show, play or sports event. In many cases, a month's subscription is less than one ticket to a sporting event. A new television can cost less than tickets for a whole family. From a purely financial viewpoint, television offers a remarkably low cost of entertainment.

The cycle has continued: As viewers demonstrated a willingness to watch television, so broadcasters strive to deliver more content. More content leads to more viewers. It is only now that the internet is maturing that we are looking for entertainment and information from sources other than television.

Answer 2

It distributed information and gave people laughter and entertainment without work or effort.