Final answer:
An infomercial is a form of paid television programming that demonstrates and sells a product to viewers via toll-free calls. These are part of a broader television advertising strategy utilized by companies to target specific demographics efficiently.
Step-by-step explanation:
The form of paid television programming where a particular product is demonstrated, explained, and offered for sale to viewers who call a toll-free number shown on the screen is known as an infomercial. This technique is a part of television advertising, which is heavily utilized by companies and corporations to reach their target demographic. Television advertisers can strategically target their ads based on sophisticated data gathered about viewers, ensuring they meet the market demographic where it lives. Most television programming in the US is produced by production companies and then distributed by national networks like CBS or NBC to local affiliates, which air these programs to local viewers.
Infomercials are just one of the many programming formats available on TV, which also include dramas, comedies, game shows, reality programs, and informative news programming. With television channels available in most pay-tv packages, advertisers have abundant opportunities to narrowcast, segmenting programming into specialized content targeting specific audiences. Therefore, whether one is watching cartoons or a cooking show, advertising in some form is likely a structured part of the programming experience.