The article presents the gradual transformation of Russian television through the consideration of the materials of the project “Television through the Еyes of Viewers”, which has been implemented for more than twenty years, and actualizes the problematic situation of the loss of the monopoly on the distribution of video content by television and the resulting consequences. The author defends the thesis of the absolute necessity of the continued existence of television (we are talking about the functionality that television performs) in its broader interpretation. The paper presents some generalizations as a possible theoretical basis for developing a strategy for the domestic television. The article presents the gradual transformation of Russian television through the consideration of the materials of the project “Television through the Еyes of Viewers”, which has been implemented for more than twenty years, and actualizes the problematic situation of the loss of the monopoly on the distribution of video content by television and the resulting consequences. The author defends the thesis of the absolute necessity of the continued existence of television (we are talking about the functionality that television performs) in its broader interpretation. The paper presents some generalizations as a possible theoretical basis for developing a strategy for the domestic television.