1 According to the text, are the following statements (a-g) true or false? Give reasons for your answers and say in which paragraph you found the information. a More than 50% of the world's households own at least one television. b A major change happened throughout the world in how we receive television signals. c Free over-the-air television is now the most popular form of transmission. d The developed world own fewer televisions due to limited access to electricity. e Sales in televisions are expected to fall further. f How we understand the definition of 'television' is set to change in the future. g Television is expected to remain the main way people get information. -Text: As we witness the evolution of what we still call 'television', it's always useful to put it in the context of how the rest of the world views this medium. The rate of adoption varies from country to country but the digital revolution passed a milestone recently. That milestoneinvolved the adoption of digital TV. For the first time, more than half of the world's population with TV sets are now within reach of a digital TV signal. The figure stands at approximately 55% as of 2012, compared to just 30% in 2008. The adoption rates vary from an estimated 81% of the total number of households in first world countries to 42 per cent in the developing world. More people worldwide now pay for their TV than get it over-the-air. At the end of last year, there were a total of 728 million pay-TV subscriptions. The adoption rate increased 32% between 2008 and 2012 and now stands at 53%, surpassing free over-the-air TV in 2011. Globally, more than 1.4 billion households now own at least one TV set, representing 79% of total households; it is noted that 'virtually all' households in the developed world now own a TV set while 69% own at least one set in developing countries. In Africa in particular, fewer than a third of the households own a TV set; one of the main reasons for the low rate is the limited access to electricity. Nonetheless, many retailers worldwide have low expectations as shipments of TV sets continue to decline. Accordingly, 2013 will mark the second straight year of lower shipments and this year the forecast is to fall by 5% (2012 saw a 7% decline). When considering how to evaluate all these statistics, we have to remember that the actual definition of television is rapidly changing, especially in the developed world. Will the rapid growth of smartphones and tablets mean continued softness in TV set sales, particularly among the young? How countries handle the television marketplace varies widely, from countries like the United States and Brazil where commercial television dominates the landscape to other areas where government controls the market. These factors cannot be ignored when considering such changes. 12 One thing is certain though: for the foreseeable future, television will continue to dominate how the world's population gets its information and entertainment, whether it be over-the-air, cable, satellite or whatever other means. But one thing we do know is its importance cannot be understated and there's no going back.