WORLD TELEVISION DAY 2013, November 21.

WORLD TELEVISION DAY occurs annually on November 21th.

Join the Forum : World Television Day - November 21.

In recognition of the increasing impact television has on decision-making by bringing world attention to conflicts and threats to peace and security and its potential role in sharpening the focus on other major issues, including economic and social issues, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 November as World Television Day (through resolution 51/205 of 17 December 1996).


World Television Day is not so much a celebration of the tool, but rather the philosophy which it represents. Television represents a symbol for communication and globalization in the contemporary world.

UNTV programmes being prepared for shipment to television stations in many parts of the world.
01 November 1957. UN Photo

 Imagine for a moment that, as of tomorrow, your television set stopped working. What’s the first thing you’d miss? Your favourite drama series? Staying in touch with the news? Seeing your sports club in action?

Maybe. But TV’s importance in society goes deeper than that. Television is a medium that improves the world, triggers imagination, raises curiosity, encourages education and gathers millions around common interests.

We believe in television as a medium that does good, we believe in television as a medium that triggers imagination, arises curiosity, encourages education and gathers millions around common interests. Here are nine good reasons why we should celebrate television today.

° TV has authority :

Today information is everywhere. But television has a particular authority. If you see something on TV, you know that millions of others are also seeing it, and that it has been verified, produced and created by professionals. That’s why television remains the most popular and trusted platform for news, culture, sports and entertainment.

° TV creates communities :

Great television programmes create communities around them. TV shows, live events and news make animated conversation for friends, family and colleagues. They bind people together and trigger reactions on social networks..

° TV inspires the mind :

Television is a fantastic educational tool. It broadens knowledge of different cultures, promotes tolerance and global understanding of international issues. Through current affairs, discovery, lifestyle, cooking shows and children’s programmes, television encourages scientific and cultural curiosity.

° TV delivers quality :

Thanks to the hard work of talented people on and off-screen, building on decades of experience and on new ways of working and communicating with audiences, the production quality of television programming has never been better than it is today.

° TV gives a voice to good causes :

Thanks to its unrivalled reach and emotional power, television enables effective calls for action during humanitarian crises, natural disasters and social emergencies. It reaches out to society through programmes and communication campaigns on environment, healthy eating, physical activity, responsible sexual attitudes and responsible alcohol consumption, and many others.

° TV goes hand-in-hand with sport :

Without television, professional sport would be unrecognisable. Millions enjoy watching live sport every week from all parts of the world in ever-higher picture quality, and enjoy the sense of unity that sports coverage creates. Televised sport has other benefits: it promotes sport’s values and ethics, and it inspires people to follow healthy role models.

° TV stimulates the economy :

The global media sector of which television is a major part employs millions of skilled workers across the world; over 1.2 million people are estimated to work in the audiovisual sector in the European Union alone*. In addition, the success of commercial television as an advertising medium generates revenue which can be reinvested in even more great programming for viewers.

° TV embraces the digital age :

Consumers now have more opportunities to enjoy television content than ever before. Viewers can watch on multiple screens and interact within fan communities and social platforms. The social television experience is completed with exclusive online content, pre-release of sequences before linear-TV broadcast, digital video interviews, making of videos, backstage photos and many others.

° TV reaches consumers & builds brands :

Television ensures that consumers know about new products, services, ideas and projects. It strengthens the position of existing brands and reassures consumers about the choices they make.