Advertiser-supported programming (ASP): Television programming that is financed primarily through advertising revenue.
Affiliate: A local television station that carries programming from a national network.
Cable channel: A television channel that is available exclusively through cable or satellite providers.
Carriage fee: A fee that a television network charges to cable and satellite providers in exchange for the right to carry its programming.
CPM (cost per thousand): A measure of the cost of advertising that is based on the number of people who will see the ad (referred to as “impressions”).
Demographics: Characteristics of a television audience, such as age, gender, income, and education level.
Downlink: The process of transmitting a television signal from a satellite to a ground station.
Feed: A live or pre-recorded television program that is transmitted from one location to another.
Format: The overall structure or concept of a television program, such as a sitcom, drama, or reality show.
Master control: The central control room in a television studio or network where video and audio signals are combined, monitored, and transmitted.
Nielsen ratings: A measurement of the audience size and demographic composition of a television program or network.
Over-the-air (OTA): A television signal that is transmitted directly to viewers via an antenna rather than through a cable or satellite provider.
Playout: The process of scheduling and airing television programming.
Programmer: A person or organization that creates or acquires television programming.
Rating point (RP): A percentage of the total number of households with televisions that are tuned to a specific program.
Syndication: The sale of a television program to individual stations or networks for airing at a later date.
Upconversion: The process of converting a standard-definition television signal to high-definition.
Vertical blanking interval (VBI): The period of time between the end of one television field and the start of the next, during which no video information is transmitted.