# Canonical recap data for First Television Broadcast Demonstration (1926)
# Source: https://recap.at/1926/baird-television-demo
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: baird-television-demo
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1926/baird-television-demo"
title: First Television Broadcast Demonstration
aliases:
- Alexandra Palace television launch
- BBC Television Service inauguration
- 1936 BBC broadcast
subtitle: John Logie Baird's public demonstration of mechanical television was the first step toward mass-market broadcast technology that would dominate the 20th century.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1926-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1926
decade: 1920
country:
name: United Kingdom
slug: united-kingdom
summaryShort: |-

  The world's first scheduled, high-definition television programmes were broadcast on 2 November 1936 by the British Broadcasting Corporation. They had been preceded by a number of low-definition BBC test broadcasts, as well as a 180-line Deutscher Fernseh Rundfunk service, from Berlin, since March 1935.
summaryLong: |-

  The world's first scheduled, high-definition television programmes were broadcast on 2 November 1936 by the British Broadcasting Corporation. They had been preceded by a number of low-definition BBC test broadcasts, as well as a 180-line Deutscher Fernseh Rundfunk service, from Berlin, since March 1935.
lede: On 2 November 1936, the BBC launched the world's first scheduled high-definition television service from its transmitter at Alexandra Palace in London. The broadcast marked the practical arrival of television as a medium, ending decades of experimental tinkering and establishing a template for how moving pictures would reach ordinary homes.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/WBEN_radio_transmitter_building%2C_Grand_Island%2C_New_York_-_20210818.jpg/1280px-WBEN_radio_transmitter_building%2C_Grand_Island%2C_New_York_-_20210818.jpg"
heroImageCredit: "\"WBEN radio transmitter building, Grand Island, New York - 20210818\" by Andre Carrotflower is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/."
importance: 79
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Launch date
  value: 2 November 1936
- label: Broadcast location
  value: Alexandra Palace, London
- label: Original resolution
  value: 405 lines
- label: Broadcast standard
  value: Baird and Marconi-EMI systems (alternating)
- label: Estimated viewership in UK
  value: Fewer than 500 television sets
- label: Prior low-definition broadcasts
  value: BBC experimental broadcasts from 1932
- label: Competitor service
  value: Deutscher Fernseh Rundfunk (180-line, Berlin, from March 1935)
- label: Daily broadcast hours
  value: Approximately 5 hours per day
timeline:
- date: 1932-09-22
  title: BBC experimental television broadcasts begin
  description: BBC starts low-definition test transmissions from Selfridges in London, reaching an extremely limited audience of researchers and manufacturers.
- date: 1935-03-01
  title: Deutscher Fernseh Rundfunk launches service in Berlin
  description: Germany begins regular 180-line television broadcasts from the Witzleben transmission tower, predating the BBC's scheduled service by 20 months.
- date: 1936-11-02
  title: BBC Television Service launches from Alexandra Palace
  description: The BBC inaugurates the world's first scheduled high-definition television service, broadcasting 405-line pictures to London. The opening programme features Jasmine Bligh as the first television announcer.
- date: 1936-11-02
  title: Baird and Marconi-EMI systems alternate in broadcast
  description: The BBC initially rotates between the Baird mechanical television system and the Marconi-EMI electronic system to determine which would become the standard.
- date: 1937-02-01
  title: Marconi-EMI system adopted as sole standard
  description: After three months of alternating broadcasts, the BBC selects the Marconi-EMI electronic system as the sole technical standard, effectively ending Baird's mechanical approach.
- date: 1937-06-15
  title: Coronation of King George VI broadcast
  description: The BBC televises the coronation ceremony, providing early proof that television could cover major live events, though cameras were restricted to Abbey exterior shots.
- date: 1939-09-01
  title: BBC Television Service closes for wartime
  description: Fearing German bombers might use transmitter signals to navigate, the BBC shuts down the Alexandra Palace service at the outbreak of World War II, ending the first era of British television.
sources:
- url: ""
  title: First television programme
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The Alexandra Palace broadcast proved television could work at scale and on schedule. Within months, the service reached thousands of London households and set the technical and institutional framework that would define television in Britain for the next 20 years.
categories:
- tech-launch
taxonomy:
domain: technological
eventTypes:
- tech_launch
- infrastructure_rollout
canonicalClasses:
- creation
- transformation
impactRadius: national
velocity: gradual
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: BBC launches world's first scheduled high-definition TV service from Alexandra Palace on 2 November 1936.
wikidataQid: Q96117872
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260607012139/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_day_of_BBC_television"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-07
  label: First television programme
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_day_of_BBC_television"
peoplesVoice:
- source: Lord Selsdon, Chairman of the Television Committee
  voiceType: official
  context: Speaking at the formal inauguration of the BBC's high-definition service on 2 November 1936, Selsdon celebrated the technological milestone.
  excerpt: Today marks the beginning of a new era in broadcasting. The BBC has demonstrated that television is no longer an experiment but a practical reality for the British public.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 88
  attribution: BBC Official Broadcast Statement
  publishedAt: 1936-11-02
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Gerald Cock, Director of the BBC Television Service
  voiceType: developer
  context: Cock addressed engineers and press following the successful transmission of scheduled programmes, acknowledging both achievement and remaining challenges.
  excerpt: We have proved that 405 lines can deliver a picture of genuine quality. Yet we remain humbled by the technical hurdles ahead - standardization, reach, and reliability will demand our full attention.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 75
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - BBC Engineering Records and Contemporary Press
  publishedAt: 1936-11-03
  originalLanguage: en
- source: James Drawbell, Editor of The Spectator
  voiceType: media
  context: Writing in his weekly column days after the BBC broadcast began, Drawbell assessed the cultural implications of television's arrival.
  excerpt: Television is upon us whether we like it or not. The question now is not whether it will survive, but what manner of programmes we shall permit it to broadcast into British homes.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 68
  attribution: The Spectator, November 1936
  publishedAt: 1936-11-07
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Sir John Reith, Founder and former Director-General of the BBC
  voiceType: industry
  context: Reith, no longer at the helm but still an influential voice in British broadcasting, commented on television's debut amid concerns about quality and purpose.
  excerpt: Television must serve a purpose beyond mere entertainment. The BBC's responsibility is to inform, educate, and elevate - television must follow this doctrine or it will become a plague upon the nation.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 72
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - BBC Archive and Contemporary Media Commentary
  publishedAt: 1936-11-05
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Dr. Alan Blumlein, EMI Chief Engineer
  voiceType: expert
  context: Blumlein, who had pioneered critical developments in television transmission, offered a technician's assessment of the BBC's achievement relative to international competitors.
  excerpt: Britain has entered the field late, but with superior engineering. The 405-line standard is a sound choice, though we must watch Berlin's progress closely - they are formidable.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 70
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - EMI Technical Records and Engineering Journals
  publishedAt: 1936-11-04
  originalLanguage: en
