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Kylee Grover

Mrs. Cramer

College Composition I Honors

9 December 2019

Television’s Evolution

The way one lives has changed drastically throughout the years. Things such as smart

phones, visual streaming, and social media has became a part of one’s everyday lives. From cord

phones wired to the wall, to one’s held in the palm of hands. From mail to email to a text, things

have revolutionized the past century. That includes the way Television is watched, paid for, and

accessed. The evolution of television has had a giant impact on our lives in terms of genres of

shows, accessibility, and the cost of TV.

What one wants to watch is usually what one subscribes to or purchases. If the classic

method is more preferred, DirectTV or Dish is the way to go. However, if a newer change seems

more appealing, Netflix or Hulu is the better option. Back around the 1980s, all there was is

satellite. A television box that connected to the TV, as well as a satellite outside. There were not

multiple options, or even packages. This came with an abundance of different weekly shows by

different stations. Soap operas and some weekly running were the basis of satellite, as well as

sports and the news (Albano). On the other hand, as television has grown, so has the options.

Places such as YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu have created platforms for viewing as well, besides

the traditional TV. These platforms show several movies and series, as well as the opportunity

for creators to share their own. “...what is involved with the worldwide success of Game of
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Thrones, House of Cards, Big Bang Theory, CSI and other shows?” (Albano). Most of it is

thanks to platform streaming. Shows such as Glee, Gossip Girl, and Pretty Little Liars gained an

abundance of more fans who couldn’t quite view it when it was on television. It’s a window of

exploration (Godfrey). As much as satellite is important, one cannot deny that the Evolution of

Television has changed the watching game, due to the variety of options in genres with the new

streaming options.

The accessibility of viewing your favorite shows and movies has changed with the

evolution overtime. What was once ‘one has to be home to watch this’ now is as fast as pulling

out a smart phone. It’s accessible on all types of devices. Tablets, phones, you name it (Noll). As

much as it’s relaxing to sit at home and watch Sundays’ football game, sometimes life’s chaos

gets in the way. Now, due to evolution in Television, it is possible to be out in about and watch

the game on a smartphone device. If internet connection or a data plan is available, majority of

NFL, NHL, and NBA games are broadcasted; as well as news stations. They are broadcasted at

one’s fingertips for viewing pleasure. It is possible to now watch big channels like HBO and

CBS anywhere, at any time, even if life never seems to stop. This is an abundance of options that

can seems overwhelming, but only improves how we live. (Noll). Life does not stop for TV.

With all these new options, it doesn’t have to, either.

Cost puts a limit to everything. Majority of the population does not live a lavish life. It is

a simpler, normal waged job. Cost can be a huge factor, and things like TV are quick to fall to

the bottom of the importance scale among car payment, mortgage, electric, and water. Satellite

usually provides a package or a bundle, filled with a variety of different networks and
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programming. That may have seemed fascinating early on, but now a days, there's a big price to

pay for a deal like that. A two-hundred-dollar television bill for things that won’t be viewed is

unreasonable and expensive for those with low middle class and lower class jobs. It’s

unreasonable to pay for such a bundle, unless a good deal is given by the company. For example,

viewing those stations frequently (Godfrey). Now with these streaming options, everything

became less expensive. There is a number of streaming options - mentioned previously – for

multiple of the most popular stations. These range from five to ten dollars, and they're much

more inexpensive for those who don’t watch what they’re buying, or just simply cannot afford it.

If people choose this innovative option, they can pay less for things they’ll watch. If one pays a

two hundred dollar television bill, but then switches to 10 stations of paying ten dollars per

network a month, they are still saving money to watch what one wants to. It’s stilling giving

oneself another cost affective option to be able to view what they please without the unnecessary

channels that are paid for but to never watch. It's a revolutionized way of living, and thee most

cost effective one too.

The evolution of Television has changed life with expanding genre options, giving

accessibility to anybody, anywhere, anytime and to giving another cost effective option to those

who can not afford that grueling bill. This evolution has trademarked the world. With things like

Netflix and Hulu, there are so many options – including original series – at one’s fingertips and

viewing pleasures. With news and sports apps, anybody around the world can be traveling and

still know what our hometown or NFL football team is doing when there are bigger priorities to

be completed. With so many options of individual channels, it is not a struggle between if one

can pay it, it is just a simple conversion into a more cost-effective option. As much as the
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satellite gives a feeling of home, as much as it will never give the same aura as these new

streaming devices, it is 2019 and this is both the present and the future of our viewing pleasures.

As much as the world has evolved and changed, there is no denying that this streaming option is

getting more and more popular. This is a revolution, and more importantly, this is an evolution of

television as it has been previously known.

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Works Cited

Albano, Sebastiao Guilherme. "The Evolution of Television: An Analysis of 10 years of TGI

Latin America (2004-2014) (Volume 1)." International journal of communication

[Online], 2017, p. 1414+. Gale Academic Onefile,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A504179163/AONE?

u=pl1949&sid=AONE&xid=28539848. Accessed 20 Nov. 2019.

Godfrey, Donald G. "The technology history of television." Journal of Broadcasting &

Electronic Media, Sept. 2003, p. 491+. Gale Academic Onefile,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A109848059/AONE?

u=pl1949&sid=AONE&xid=89127295. Accessed 20 Nov. 2019.

Noll A.M. (1999) The Evolution of Television Technology. In: Gerbarg D. (eds) The Economics,

Technology and Content of Digital TV. Economics of Science, Technology and

Innovation, vol 15. Springer, Boston, MA