The BBC, or British Broadcasting Corporation, is a public service broadcast. It includes many different television channels as well radio stations. It is well known for the BBC News as well as its flagship television channel, BBC One. The BBC is funded through a license fee; in England, in order to get the main public channels, such as the BBC, one pays a license fee. As of 2010, it cost 49 pounds for black and white television and 145.5 pounds for color. Without paying the fee, you simply don't get access. You would miss out on classics such as Are You Being Served?, Doctor Who, Flight of the Conchords, The Office and Pride and Prejudice. All of the licensing fees go to pay for the productions and therefore, rather like our PBS, they can cut out the advertisements and sponsors. According to the television licensing website, it is common to buy a license for someone else as a present. Think of how simple Christmas shopping could become.
ITV, or Independent Television, is funded via advertisements and sponsors, making it quite different from the BBC. None the less, it was originally created to give competition for the BBC. It is a major Public service television network and is also referred to as Channel 3. It has Britain's Got Talent, ITV News, Jeeves and Wooster, Mr. Bean and of course our beloved Downton Abbey.
*On a side note, as thankful as I am that the BBC and ITV release such wonderful productions on television, there is a moment of sadness every time I try and watch an episode or a behind-the-scenes clip on their respective websites and I receive a notice that looks like this...
Some days, this within itself, makes me wish I had my very own TARDIS so that I could pop on over to the UK. Of course, if I had my own TARDIS, I think the last thing that I would do is sit down and watch a bit of "telly" when I could be off having my own adventures.
