At a time when television is undergoing significant transformations and scholars are rethinking television theory, it is also necessary to reflect on the key subjects, methodologies and concepts used for research on TV history. The aim of this article is to highlight and explain the significance of the concept of television memory for research on television and history. The reflections on television memory provided in this article will be useful both for media historians and media theorists. More specifically, I will discuss examples of nostalgic programming by contemporary television channels as well as the interactive (re)use of old television material by Internet and new media users, and ask what the notion of television memory brings to the analysis of these practices.

Television memory is always linked to a socially-shared televisual past, but can be manifested in a variety of ways, collective as well as individual. Looking firstly at collective manifestations, television memory is most visibly linked to the audiovisual archives of TV broadcasters and companies. In recent years, stations have introduced several formats that are based on an exploitation of the medium's past, using material from the archives, broadcasting reruns or producing contemporary versions of old popular shows. These types of programming appeal to viewers’ curiosity and emotions by taking them on a nostalgic journey through their own recollections of TV and can be considered key contributory factors in the generation of today's collective television memory. As well as being used by professional media institutions, the material from these archives is now increasingly being made available for consultation by the public.

As individual manifestation, television memory can be understood as a construction process comprising the continuous recollections of TV viewers based on their experiences as members of a particular audience. If these memories of events and material perceived through television are expressed verbally and recorded analytically by researchers, then television memory becomes a valuable source of historical data. Academic study can use these personal recollections of television to generate aggregated knowledge on collective social processes.

It is my contention that the analysis of television memory in its multiple manifestations will provide us with a greater insight into both the history of television and its present day incarnations.