The complete history of television: From the 1920s to 2025

TVs as we know them today began as a series of science experiments in the early 1900s. Inventors experimenting with the idea of television were trying to figure out how to send moving pictures through the air, the same way radio sent sound.

Instead of electronic screens, these early TVs used spinning disks with holes in them to create an image. The pictures were fuzzy, tiny, and often just shadows, but they were the first step toward real television.

One of the first big breakthroughs came in 1926, when a Scottish inventor named John Logie Baird showed off the world’s first working TV system in London. He managed to send moving images of people’s faces using his mechanical setup. Around the same time in the United States, inventors like Charles Francis Jenkins were also experimenting, showing silhouettes and small moving shapes. These weren’t shows yet, but they proved that moving pictures could travel through the air for the first time.

Hard to say! The very first TV show wasn’t really a “show” the way we think of them today. Back in the 1920s and 1930s, inventors were still experimenting with how to send moving pictures through the air rather than creating actual shows people could enjoy.

The earliest broadcasts were often just short test programmes (things like a man’s face, a puppet, or even a spinning ventriloquist dummy head) just so engineers could check if the picture came through clearly.

One of the very first regularly scheduled TV broadcasts happened in 1928 in the U.S. by a company called W2XBS (which later became NBC). They showed simple things like Felix the Cat spinning on a turntable for hours so they could test the signal. In the UK, the BBC started experimental broadcasts in 1930, and by 1936 they had what many call the first real TV service, with programs like plays, news, and variety shows.

1920s – Experiments and Invention

Television really began to take shape in the 1920s, though it was very much experimental. Inventors were trying to transmit moving images electrically, often using mechanical scanning devices such as spinning discs with holes (the Nipkow disc) that scanned a picture line by line. Each image was tiny and low-resolution, often blurry or flickering.

The Scottish engineer John Logie Baird is one of the most famous television pioneers of the time. In 1926, in a London laboratory, he demonstrated the first working television system, showing moving silhouettes of human faces. His system was mechanical, using light-sensitive selenium cells and a disc with holes, and could transmit only low-definition images of about 30 lines, but it proved the concept was possible.

Did you know? American inventor Charles Francis Jenkins had been experimenting with television transmissions as early as 1923, sending simple moving shapes and silhouettes over radio waves.

1928 – The First Regular Broadcast

By 1928, television was beginning to move from experiment to public demonstration. In the United States, the experimental station W2XBS, operated by RCA (which later became NBC), began broadcasting test transmissions. One famous demonstration involved a Felix the Cat doll spinning on a record turntable, which allowed engineers to fine-tune the signal. This was not “entertainment” as we think of it today, but it was the first glimpse of scheduled broadcasts.

Meanwhile, John Logie Baird achieved a historic milestone: the first transatlantic television signal, transmitting from London to New York. The images were basic, but the transmission proved that television could bridge continents, creating the first notion of truly global communication through images.

1930s – The First TV Services

The 1930s in the UK, the BBC had begun showing experimental broadcasts with plays, news bulletins, and other performances, and by 1936, it launched the world’s first regular public television service from Alexandra Palace in London. The service featured the world’s first scheduled programming, including short dramas, newsreels, music performances, and variety shows, broadcast on a strict schedule.

Meanwhile In the United States, RCA staged public demonstrations of television at the 1939 New York World’s Fair, showing live broadcasts to visitors and highlighting television as the “technology of the future.”

Did you know? American television broadcasts in the 1930s showed news, variety shows, and simple TV ads, but TV sets were expensive so not many people owned one to watch.

1941 – The First Television advert

Television advertising began in earnest on 1 July 1941 in the United States, when the first official advert aired during a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies, on station WNBT (later WNBC) in New York. The ad was for Bulova watches, lasting just 10 seconds and showing a simple clock over a map of the U.S.

Although extremely short, this commercial was hugely significant. It showed that television could be funded through advertising, setting the stage for the commercial-driven broadcasting model that would dominate for decades.

1945–1950s – The Golden Age of Television

After the Second World War, television became mass-produced and affordable, leading to a dramatic increase in households owning a TV. In the US and in Britain, families could finally bring television into their living rooms, and it quickly became the primary form of home entertainment, overtaking radio.

The late 1940s and early 1950s are often called the “Golden Age of Television”. In the United States, live drama, variety shows, and early sitcoms flourished. Shows such as I Love Lucy (1951) became cultural phenomena, demonstrating television’s ability to influence fashion, speech, and social norms. In the UK, the BBC continued to expand programming, experimenting with news, drama, and sports coverage broadcast a single TV channel.

In 1954, NBC broadcast the first coast-to-coast colour programme in the US, though black-and-white sets remained the norm until the 1960s. Meanwhile, technological developments included better cathode-ray tubes, electronic cameras, and better transmission methods, all contributing to higher-quality broadcasts.

1960s – Television Goes Global and Becomes Colourful

By the 1960s, television had become truly global, with networks in Europe, Asia, and the Americas expanding and rapidly growing in popularity. The BBC launched BBC 2 in 1964 and introduced regular colour programming in 1967, and most US networks had also switched to colour by the late 1960s.

Television was no longer just entertainment; it was a window to the world. Major historical events were broadcast live, such as the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and Neil Armstrong’s Moon landing in 1969, watched by an estimated 600 million people worldwide.

Did you know? The 1960s also saw the rise of TV journalism, with anchors becoming public figures and news coverage being a key place for people to get information for the first time.

1970s – Cable, Satellite, and the Remote Control

The 1970s changed the way people watched TV, with Cable and satellite bringing more channels into homes, giving viewers more choice than the old one or two channels. HBO began in 1972 in the US, offering movies and special programmes for paying subscribers, a new idea that later spread worldwide. And although British audiences still primarily relied on the BBC and ITV, technological advancements and the growing popularity of satellite dishes hinted at the multi-channel future.

At the same time, TV shows in the 1970s became bolder and more modern. Comedies and dramas started reflecting real-life issues, like war, society, and family life. Sports and live news became more popular too, giving viewers a stronger sense of connection to the world by reflecting society more directly, tackling issues such as war, social inequality, and generational conflict.

The 1970s also saw the remote control enter the home for the first time. Before this, changing channels meant getting up and physically turning a dial on the television. The remote allowed viewers to switch channels, adjust the volume, and turn the TV on or off from the sofa, making watching TV far more convenient.

1980s – 24-Hour News, Music Channels, and Home Recording

Television became a 24-hour medium in the 1980s.In 1980, CNN launched in the United States, becoming the world’s first 24-hour news channel. This meant viewers could follow breaking news anytime, not just at scheduled bulletins. The idea of live, continuous reporting also changed how people experienced major events, from elections to natural disasters.

Music fans also saw a huge change with the arrival of MTV in 1981. It broadcast music videos non-stop, creating a whole new way to enjoy songs and promoting artists visually as well as aurally. MTV quickly became a cultural phenomenon, influencing fashion, youth culture, and even the way music was produced.

At the same time, home recording became possible thanks to VCRs (Video Cassette Recorders). People could record their favourite shows, films, or sporting events and watch them whenever they wanted, which made TV more flexible and personal. This was the start of viewers having control over what to watch, rather than being limited by broadcast schedules.

1990s – Satellite TV and Global Phenomena

The 1990s were the decade when television truly went global. Thanks to the rapid growth of satellite and cable networks, households suddenly had access to hundreds of channels, far beyond the handful available in earlier decades. This was the era of the multichannel explosion, when viewers could find something to match almost any interest – dedicated channels for children, 24-hour sports, round-the-clock news, music, films, and specialist programming.

Television content in the 1990s also reached a new international scale. American series like Friends, The X-Files, ER, Seinfeld, and Baywatch became global sensations, watched by audiences from London all the way to Tokyo. These shows shaped fashion, humour, and even language, proving that television had become a shared cultural experience across borders.

Did you know? Live broadcasts in the 1990s became some of the most-watched events in human history. The funeral of Princess Diana in 1997 was seen by more than 2 billion viewers worldwide, while sporting events like the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics drew enormous audiences around the world, uniting people across continents in real time.

2000s – HDTV, Digital Switchover, and the Internet Shift

The 2000s were a decade of huge change for television. The most visible shift was the move to high-definition television (HDTV).

Viewers could suddenly enjoy programmes in crystal-clear quality, with sharper detail and richer colour than ever before. For many households, upgrading to a sleek flat-screen HDTV was a big leap from the bulky old CRT sets of the past.

At the same time, countries across the world began the digital switchover, phasing out analogue broadcasts. In the UK, this meant services like Freeview (launched in 2002) gave households access to dozens of digital channels for free, expanding choice for those without satellite or cable.

In 2007, we launched Virgin Media TV

It was also during in the 2000s that Virgin Media became a household name in telly. We launched our TV packages in 2007 and then our fibre broadband in 2008, marking the start of a bold new chapter for us and for British television.

The journey began the year before, when two of the UK’s biggest cable companies – NTL and Telewest – merged together to create the Virgin Media you know today. By uniting our networks, we created the first true “quad-play” provider in the UK, bringing together TV, broadband, home phone, and mobile under one roof for the first time ever.

Our goal when we launched our TV packages was to give more choice, more control, and more quality than ever before. We moved beyond the traditional channel lineup, offering hundreds of digital channels and introducing new features like on-demand viewing, which allowed people to catch up on shows and explore films at the touch of a button.

Our vision was to make TV smarter, simpler, and more flexible, and the 2000s laid the foundations for what we’d continue to build in the years ahead.

2010s – The Streaming Revolution

Television saw one of its biggest changes in the 2010s with the rise of streaming. This was the decade when streaming became mainstream, changing not just how people watched TV, but what TV meant. Services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu quickly grew from small platforms to global giants, producing their own original series and films. By the late 2010s, new players like Disney+ and HBO Max joined the battle, sparking the so-called “streaming wars.”

Streaming changed viewing habits forever. Instead of waiting for weekly episodes, audiences could binge-watch entire seasons in one sitting. Netflix popularised this model with shows like House of Cards and Stranger Things, while other services followed suit. Television began to look and feel more like cinema, with shows such as Breaking Bad, The Crown, and Game of Thrones offering blockbuster-level production values and storytelling.

2020s – Television in the digital era

The 2020s have seen television become fully digital and deeply connected to the internet. Today, the word “television” doesn’t just mean the big screen in the living room – it means any screen, anywhere: smart TVs, laptops, tablets, and phones.

Streaming services dominate entertainment, but the competition is fierce. The “streaming wars” continue as Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Apple TV+, and others fight for subscribers by releasing phenomenal exclusive shows, films, and live sports to keep people entertained.

More and more people are also turning to the likes of BBC iPlayer, ITVX and Channel 4 online to watch their favourite shows rather than broadcast TV. But for many people, broadcast TV is still used the place to go live events – from the Olympics and World Cup to the Eurovision Song Contest and the Super Bowl – programmes that still bring millions together at the same time.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the shift even further, with major film studios even releasubg big blockbusters directly onto streaming platforms instead of cinemas, blurring the line between TV and film forever.

Television has never stood still, and the future promises even bigger shifts than the move from black-and-white to colour, or from broadcast to streaming.

Right now, we’re in the middle of the so-called “streaming wars”. Services like Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, Apple TV+, and HBO Max are competing for subscribers with original shows and films. But with so many options, people are beginning to feel subscription fatigue. The future may see fewer, bigger platforms, as companies merge or bundle services together, much like traditional cable packages.

As people grow tired of paying for multiple subscriptions, free or low-cost streaming services with adverts, known as FAST channels, could become more popular. This could bring TV “full circle,” back to being free and ad-funded, but now delivered online.

Still, for younger audiences, TV may not exist in the same way it does today. Many young people don’t see a big difference between television, YouTube, TikTok, or Twitch—they’re all “screen entertainment.” Future TV may merge these worlds, with live shows that mix TV drama, gaming, and audience participation in real time. Think of it as part-TV show, part-video game, part-social experience.

Younger audiences don’t see a big difference between television, YouTube, TikTok, or Twitch—they’re all “screen entertainment.” Future TV may merge these worlds, with live shows that mix TV drama, gaming, and audience participation in real time. Think of it as part-TV show, part-video game, part-social experience.

At Virgin Media, we’ve been proud to play our part in shaping that journey — from launching Virgin TV in 2007, to pioneering on-demand viewing, HD and 4K channels, and our Virgin TV 360 platform.

Today, our TV packages are built around choice, flexibility, and simplicity. With hundreds of channels, built-in apps like Netflix and Disney+, plus easy voice search and smart recommendations, Virgin Media TV makes it effortless to find what you love. And because life doesn’t always fit around a schedule, our Virgin TV Go app means you can take your shows anywhere – on your phone, tablet, or laptop. Watch live, catch up, or pick up where you left off at home.

Not with us yet and fancy getting Virgin Media TV at home? Check out all our TV package deals and bundle up with broadband to get the ultimate entertainment experience.