Broadcaster: Definition, Types, and Applications

Audiodrome | Last Updated: March 10th, 2026 | 3 min read | Glossary

A broadcaster is the person, company, station, platform, or organization that transmits program content to the public. In licensing, the broadcaster is the entity responsible for airing or distributing the content, even though it is not the same thing as the program being broadcast.

Quick facts line:
Also called: transmitting entity
Can be: TV station, radio station, network, channel, streaming service
Refers to: the entity, not the content
Not the same as: broadcast or broadcasting

One practical example :
A regional television network licenses a documentary episode that includes music. The network is the broadcaster because it is the entity delivering that content to viewers.

Gotchas:

The broadcaster is the entity using the content, not the transmission itself.
A production company and a broadcaster may be different parties with different rights responsibilities.
Some licenses allow creator uploads but not use by a broadcaster or network.
A broadcaster may need broader rights for territory, term, or repeated airings.

FAQs

Sometimes, especially in modern digital contexts, but contracts often reserve the term for organizations or channels.

It depends on how the agreement defines the term.

Not always. Sometimes a producer or agency clears the music before delivery.

Because licenses often limit who may use the content and on what channels.

Related terms (internal links):
Broadcast • Broadcasting • Broadcast Rights • Exclusive License • Territory Restrictions • Commercial Use