We all still rely on television to fulfilling our entertainment needs. It is an essential part of every house and an important aspect of modern culture. Be it news, entertainment, education, music or sports-TV has it all in store for you. It has long been used as a strong medium to reach the layman through TV shows, advertisements, cultural programs, educational programs, or spreading awareness about current events or news. Cable TV and broadcast TV are two terms we often hear when it comes to TV entertainment.
Broadcast TV is often given more importance from an advertising point of view since it is more reachable. It is usually believed that broadcast TV plays an essential role in brand recognition. Cable TV on the other hand is more versatile, offering a wider range of channel line-ups and has more entertainment content. Users cannot ignore the alluring Spectrum cable packages that offer incredible channel line-ups and many added benefits at a much cost-effective price. Nowadays bundling offers have made it more convenient for users to get cable TV and internet services from the same provider at more affordable pricing.
So without further ado, let us have a closer look at these two TV mindsets-broadcast and cable.
Table of Contents
Broadcast TV
Broadcast television is generally considered one of the most common types of television. These channels usually make use of public airwaves for the transmission of programs that are available to any TV set in the range of a broadcast transmitter. The broadcast channels like CBS, NBC, or CW usually use advertising as their source of revenue. The non-commercial channels including PBS earn their revenue by means of other sources. Broadcast channels attract a large audience of America that is why they have great advertising potential. Broadcast television was mainly designed to reach out to the viewers for advertising sponsored products. Broadcast channels are around since the earliest of times when TV made its way to every home in America.
Broadcast TV is a type of mass media that is intended to create awareness and get the attention of the audience to satisfy their entertainment needs. It can be accessed for free and has a limited number of channels and networks. You can access broadcast channels over the air by the use of an antenna.
Cable TV
Cable channels do not make use of public waves rather they charge the viewers a certain transmission fee. These cable channels are owned privately and rely majorly on the revenues generated by the consumers. Around 70% of Americans make use of cable TV channels as their source of news and entertainment.
Cable TV is usually meant for commercial or business purposes where companies owning cable networks earn revenues by charging a fee to the users. Cable TV has hundreds and thousands of channels to offer. Thus the channel line up is greater as compared to broadcast TV.
Audience Targeting
Even with the growing trends of video streaming and wide use of the internet, television still has a strong audience and good viewership. So when it comes to targeting a larger audience, we can say that broadcast TV leads the game. Broadcast networks are usually capable of engaging a greater number of viewers since there are certain areas where cable companies cannot reach. While on the other hand there can be areas where multiple cable providers are present. That might split the viewership between broadcast and cable TV.
Extent Of Reach
Cable TV reaches out to areas where they offer coverage and have the infrastructure. While broadcast TV has a greater reach since it is available over the air. All you need is an antenna to watch them. They are also more convenient since they are available free and you do not have to pay for their transmission. Therefore, anyone can watch broadcast channels.
The Bottom Line
The aforementioned discussion highlights the major differences between broadcast TV and cable TV. Cable TV is very popular among the residents of America and we have seen a rapid increase in the number of cable companies providing cable TV and quite often cable internet services as well. While broadcast TV has its importance and charisma. Both broadcast and cable TV have their benefits and are meant for fulfilling the entertainment needs of viewers.
