I grew up in a family that did not feel like cable or satellite was necessary, so practically my entire knowledge of the television industry was based on five solid channels. It wasn’t until I reached college that I realized I had, for eighteen whole years, been starved of the basic commodity central to almost every teenager’s existence. And it wasn’t food.
It was MTV.
All of a sudden a whole new and exciting world of mindless entertainment blossomed in front of my eyes. Whether it’s Rob Dyrdek’s Fantasy Factory, Silent Library or a mix of my favorite music videos, MTV conveniently guarantees me hours of my time where I can check out of reality and dive into a world of random distraction – brain cells not required.
What astounds me is that when I’m watching MTV, I become one person in a mass audience of viewers across the world. According to “Global Communication: Theories, Stakeholders and Trends,” MTV is one of the world’s largest television networks, reaching more than 340 million viewers in 140 countries. The channel was the first network made available 24 hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, and the website is one of the most popular music websites in the world (McPhail, 2010).
Because the channel gets such an enormous amount of airtime, it is also a prime spot for advertising. Not only do the broadcasted shows allow ample time for sponsors to advertise their products, but the shows and music videos advertise for certain products within the programs themselves. Actors and performers often will endorse certain products through their clothing or lyrics, allowing advertisers to appeal to a world-wide audience through one individual channel.
Although we often seem to watch MTV alone or in small groups, in reality we consume this media in a global context. The channel is a prominent example of how the world has become globalized through a television medium, as it has allowed the music and television industries to join together in a sweeping world-wide phenomenon.
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