ENGLISH
REFERENCE

on television

prep. phr..
A1 Beginner Oxford

prep. phr.. This means something is being broadcast on a TV channel. You can also use it to talk about people who appear in TV shows.

prep. phr.. A prepositional phrase indicating that a program is being broadcast or that a person is appearing via the medium of television.


SIMPLE

What's on television tonight?

CONTEXTUAL

I saw a great documentary about penguins on television last night.

COMPLEX

The politician's carefully crafted persona, honed over years of appearing on television, began to unravel during the live debate.

Usage

Note the zero article: 'on television' refers to the medium, while 'on the television' refers to the physical object.

Teaching tip

Contrast 'on television' (the broadcast medium) with 'on the television' (physically on top of the set) and 'in a movie' (for cinema).

Pitfall

I saw him on the television.I saw him on television.Use 'on television' without 'the' to talk about the broadcast medium, not the physical device.

© 2026 English Reference