The first official paid television advertisement came out in the United States on July 1, 1941, over New York station WNBT (subsequently WNBC) before a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies. The announcement for Bulova watches, for which the company paid anywhere from $4.00 to $9.00 (reports vary), displayed a WNBT test pattern modified to look like a clock with the hands showing the time. The Bulova logo, with the phrase “Bulova Watch Time”, appeared in the lower right-hand quadrant of the test pattern while the second hand swept around the dial for one minute.

The first TV ad broadcast in the UK went on air on ITV on September 22, 1955, advertising Gibbs SR toothpaste.

In Asia, the first TV ad broadcast appeared on Nippon Television in Tokyo on August 28, 1953, advertising Seikosha (subsequently Seiko); it also displayed a clock with the current time.

Television advertising is considered the most popular (most viewed) and most effective type of advertising, but, thus, the most, the most, the most expensive type of advertising for the advertiser. In addition, it was found that TV advertising increases the effectiveness of other types of the same product, that is, for example, the same visual images seen in the print press after viewing the ad, make a greater impression.

TV advertising in its own way can be an advertising message or a video.