Final answer:
The sale of spot ads significantly diminished sponsor control of TV content, indicating that the statement in question is true.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the sale of spot ads within shows like Today and TV specials like Peter Pan helped to end sponsor control of TV content is true.
In the 1940s and 1950s, most programs were sponsored by a single advertiser, enabling these sponsors to have significant control over the content of the programs. However, by the 1960s, the emergence of commercial breaks instead of product placement marked a shift in how television content was funded and controlled. Overtime, networks began relying on mass advertising, ultimately leading to a decline in the direct influence of single sponsors on programming content. This, combined with the aforementioned increase in advertising revenue that occurred from 1950 to the start of the next decade, and the change in advertising techniques, marked a significant transition in the television industry.