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Television advertisement

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A television advertisement is a short clip on TV.

Radio News Sep 1928 Cover
Radio News Sep 1928 Cover

Companies pay to show these ads. This money helps pay for most TV networks. People also call these ads commercials or spots.

The first paid TV ad was in the USA. It happened on July 1, 1941. The ad was for Bulova watches. It showed a clock on the screen. In the UK, the first ad was for toothpaste. This happened in 1955. In Asia, the first ad was in Tokyo in 1953.

There are many ways to show ads. Some ads are part of a show. This is called product placement. This means a show uses real brands. For example, a show might use tools from a certain store. Other ads appear as banners at the bottom of the screen. These are called overlays. They can cover part of the picture.

Some people use tools to skip ads. These tools are called digital video recorders, or DTRs. They let people fast-forward past the commercials. Because of this, some networks try to make shorter breaks. This helps keep people watching the show.

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File:Radio News Sep 1928 Cover.jpg
Radio News Sep 1928 Cover.jpg
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