A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, television spot, TV spot, advert, TV advert or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product or service.
Advertising revenue provides a significant portion of the funding for most privately-owned television networks. During the 2010s, the number of commercials has grown steadily, though the length of each commercial has diminished.Advertisements of this type have promoted a wide variety of goods, services, and ideas ever since the early days of the history of television.