ABSTRACT
Television broadcasting in the United Kingdom has been profoundly shaped by stability and continuity that has seen fundamental features of the system that was established in 1922 carried throughout the decades. It has historically evolved with a great deal of continuity and as new broadcasters were introduced, all of these broadcasters were licensed with public service obligations: this is the uniqueness of the British model of broadcasting, which has historically provided a stable and innovative television environment, with quality, universality and diversity enjoying prominence in public policy debate. With the introduction of commercial television broadcasting, such a model sought to balance the public interest with commercial interest by placing obligations on commercial broadcasters ensuring that they contributed to the overall quality and range of television programming. The BBC has been omnipresent in the development of radio and television in the United Kingdom and it has acted as the central institution during the development of television, and this continues to this day.
