In China, some television stations have an abundance of advertisements, while others such as the full English station, Channel 9, CCTV International, have none, particularly since many of its programs will increasingly be sold in overseas markets. Correspondingly, in the United States, most stations except public broadcasting or some of the cable television stations carry many advertisements, perhaps as many as fourteen or fifteen minutes during each hour. In the United Kingdom, BBC started as a noncommercial station, without any advertisements. Now, Britain has several independent stations, which carry a large number of advertisements.
Television, as the "third media" is very expensive to operate and. for which to produce new shows on a regular basis. In the US, the many subscribers to cable or satellite television can receive 100 or more stations -- at the same time. In many parts of China, television viewers can select from more than two dozens of domestic channels. In some of China's major cities, they can also see television imported from various foreign countries.
Advertising on the commercial stations has several advantages. The first is that it provides much needed revenue for the stations to operate and to produce high quality programs. The second is that it provides useful information to viewers about products, which are available commercially or through institutions. The third is that often the most creative television is developed through very creative commercials, which are often even better than the programs on which they advertise.
Disadvantages, however, include the ever rising costs of commercial advertising, sometimes misleading ads, such as those misleading ads in the US for alcohol as leading to good and exciting lives for young people, and that program developers have to follow the wishes of the advertisers in developing programs. Noncommercial stations often have the ability to provide more in depth and sharper analytical understanding for their television audiences.
Television audiences often can choose whether they wish commercial stations with advertising or noncommercial stations without advertising, but in the latter case, may have to pay more for the service than for stations which provide advertising.