Entertainment is part of human life anywhere on the planet and Television has been probably been an important source of it ever since it came into existence back in 1926. A Scottish inventor, John Logie Baird developed the first colour television system and it would go on to change the world of marketing, advertisement and amusement forever. It gave rise to an industry that would not only be associated with entertainment but also information, employing millions worldwide. Television has played a huge role in globalisation, expanding tremendously in every society. The United Nations General Assembly through its resolution 51/205 held on December 17, 1996, proclaimed November 21 as World Television Day, citing the huge role the electronic medium plays in our life and the potential it has to change the world. World Television Day: Small Wonder, Baywatch, Friends and Other Iconic TV Shows That Enjoyed a Worldwide Audience.

On World Television Day, we take a look at some facts.

  • The world’s first High Definition television system which was 405-line broadcasting started in the UK in 1936.

  • In March 1954, Westinghouse produced the first colour TV set and it was readily available in the market. Initially, 5000 units of the TV sets were available.

  • The world television was recognised in 1907 and its huge popular abbreviation TV came into the picture in 1948.

  • Over the years, television has grown in size and Panasonic in 2012 came up with a 152 inch TV set that cost a whopping 600,000 pounds.

  • Sony in 1982 made the world’s first pocket television – the Sony Watchman

  • The first TV remote was developed by Zenith in 1950 and was connected to the TV set by a wire.

  • In 2004, there was more number of television sets in the United Kingdom than people. This despite an average Britisher watching TV for about 4 hours a day. World Television Day Special: Ridiculous Scenes From Indian Soaps That Would Make You Want to Switch Off the TV!

  • An average American kid between the age of 5 and 13 watches 13,000 deaths on TV in a year.

  • The Super Bowl has a television viewership of 114.4 million in the US. A 30 second commercial on the Super Bowl cost a company 2.7 million dollars back in 2008.

  • It is believed an average person spends ten years of their life in front of TV sets watching television.

Television has been an integral part of our lives over the years but its popularity has taken a hit with the growth of the internet in the modern-day and age.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 20, 2020 01:34 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).