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A television director directs the activities involved in making a television episode.

The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live (as in a news broadcast or sports event) or filmed/taped (as in a dramatic production).

In both types of productions, the director is responsible for supervising the placement of cameras (camera blocking), lighting elements, microphones, and props. In a dramatic production, the television director's role can be similar to that of a film director, giving cues to actors and telling the operator of the videotape recorder when to start and stop recording. In a television series comprised of individual episodes, the television director's role may differ from that of a film director in that he or she may work only on some episodes as opposed to being the auteur of the entire production. In an episodic television production the major creative control will likely reside with the producer(s) of the show.

In a live production, or one that is produced in one continuous sequence as if it were live, the director is required to command numerous personnel in real time, notably the technical director or vision mixer (UK) who switches cameras and other video elements on and off-line; the stage manager who gives cues to actors, news anchors and even sports officials; the audio mixer, who selects from audio sources such as microphones and prerecorded audio elements; and the program's announcer. The commands are delivered rapid-fire, and the first seconds of a news broadcast might begin, "Up on camera one with font, music, announce, Katie's mike, cue Katie." This means that the technical director is supposed to place Camera One online with a title superimposed on it, the audio mixer is to start the theme music and turn on the announcer's mike, the announcer is supposed to read from his script (e.g. "It's the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric"); the audio mixer is supposed to activate Katie's mike, and the stage manager is supposed to then wave at Katie to start reading the news script from the teleprompter. All the while, the assistant director is talking to the director, providing information as how much time until the next recorded segment or commercial ("Go to tape in 10...9...8...") and the producer is talking to both of them, for example about whether the show is running long or short with respect to time ("We'll have to dump the tag on the Washington piece, we're 15 seconds heavy.")

Aside from having to rattle off rapid-fire commands, it's also the live director's job to be cool under fire and maintain order among the staff in the control room, on the set, and elsewhere. The director's commands must be artistic, accurate, and calm. There is usually zero room for error.

A news studio might have perhaps four cameras, at most, and few camera movements. In a sports broadcast, the director might have 20 or 30 cameras and must continuously tell each of the camera operators what to focus on.

While the director is responsible for the specific shots and other production elements to be aired, the producer (typically seated behind the director in the second row of chairs in the control room) and coordinates the "big picture," including commercial breaks and the running length of the show.

In a smaller production, the director may be responsible for operating production equipment, usually the video switcher and CCUs, as well.

• Television Director at The Museum of Broadcast Communications