Industry
Television in 1960s Britain was provide by a cozy duopoly of ITV and the BBC. Neither was part of an international media conglomerate. The BBC was and is a public corporation governed by Royal Charter and funded by licence-fee payers. ITV was a network of regional television companies who competed with each other to provide programmes for the channel and provided some regional content for their transmission area. The production company behind The Avengers - ABC - for example, held the weekend franchise for the midlands and the north. These companies were not allowed to merge (until after 1990) and their British ownership was controlled by their regulator, the Independent Television Authority (ITA).
Audiences
Both BBC One and ITV were aimed at mass audiences - both aiming to attract viewers to the channel for the evening's viewing n expectation that they would remain for the whole evening. For this reason, broadcast flow was important: audiences should be led through a series of genres and formats to provide a rounded evening's viewing. BBC Two was the and might address a series of different audiences across one evening's schedule. Programmes such as The Avengers allowed 'tent pole' scheduling - where the evening's viewing was held up by key popular shows.
Uses and Gratifications
For personal identity, people would seek out media to find out more about themselves. ITV viewers may see themselves as more 'down-to-earth'. BBC viewers might see themselves as either more 'cultured' or 'better-educated'. For social interaction and integration, people may seek out media to have something to talk about with their family or friends. This is because when TV was on in the 60s, it was scarce and there was usually only one TV in each household. This can create big discussions or talking-points within each other. For entertainment, people would seek out media for enjoyment. BBC or ITV offered humour, tension, thrill and action in the 60s. For example, in The Avengers, the series offered plenty of high tension, action sequences.
Well done Benji, this is a good clear summary.
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