Does Anybody Watch Television Anymore?

[Virtual]

I never hear anyone talk about watching television anymore. Most everyone talks about watching Netflix or YouTube or whatever, but I never hear of anyone talking about watching, for instance, the Discovery Channel, or SciFi, or ESPN, or whatever anymore. The other day, a friend of mine from the city (I live in the country) came over and said “hey let’s order some wings and watch some Netflix”. I replied, “I know of nowhere to get wings around here, and I don’t have Netflix”. He was stunned I didn’t have Netflix and that I had never watched or used Netflix. He asked why and I told him because I couldn’t get internet where I live. He asked what I did have. I said I had a DVD player and some old gaming systems (SNES and a Wii), and I said my parents have Dish Network in their house. He goes “Dish? That’s so freaking old!”

 

That got me to thinking, is television on its way out? Is it something people don’t consume anymore? I honestly don’t know because I’ve been out of the loop for over a decade now. I’m 28, so I have not excuse not to know what’s out there. But I’m just not a technological person at all. I’m very old school, I live in the country on hundreds of acres of land, and I’m basically a hermit. In the past decade, I only recently got another TV, and that was only because my sister was moving and had to give it to me. So I was just wondering, is television dead, For that matter, what can television do that YouTube cannot? Why is there still such a thing as television with the internet being here now? I don’t really get it. Why has the internet not made television completely obsolete?

Edited January 21, 2019 by Virtual

[Virtual]

Preeschiate all the replies!

[exchemist]

Preeschiate all the replies!

Yeah, it's a pretty dead forum, largely due to the unmoderated preponderance of nutcases and cranks*. But let me at least try to answer.

 

 People evidently do still watch TV, or Trump would not get so angry about its exposure of his lies. But it might be interesting to know what proportion now watch on broadcast channels (using a radio signal and antenna),  and what proportion on internet-mediated versions.

 

However I have not had a TV since 1999. I got rid of mine when I moved to the US for a couple of years and never bothered to buy another when I came back to London in 2001. I use radio and the internet for news and the Financial Times for commentary. TV seems to be full of crap, so far as I can gather.

 

My son and I find our lives busy enough as it is. When he gets home from school we have a cup of tea and then he does homework until it is time for supper, after which he veges out for a bit (on snapchat etc with his mates)  and then he does his piano practice and then it's time for bath and bed. So when we would watch TV I have no idea, except possibly at weekends.

 

Not worth it.  

 

 

* Later footnote: See below: QED 

Edited January 24, 2019 by exchemist

[Dubbelosix]

I think you should tone your attitude down a bit exchemist. While I might agree there are some trolls lurking around, you have not shown yourself to be far from the same page.

[Virtual]

Yeah, it's a pretty dead forum, largely due to the unmoderated preponderance of nutcases and cranks*. But let me at least try to answer.

 

People evidently do still watch TV, or Trump would not get so angry about its exposure of his lies. But it might be interesting to know what proportion now watch on broadcast channels (using a radio signal and antenna), and what proportion on internet-mediated versions.

 

However I have not had a TV since 1999. I got rid of mine when I moved to the US for a couple of years and never bothered to buy another when I came back to London in 2001. I use radio and the internet for news and the Financial Times for commentary. TV seems to be full of crap, so far as I can gather.

 

My son and I find our lives busy enough as it is. When he gets home from school we have a cup of tea and then he does homework until it is time for supper, after which he veges out for a bit (on snapchat etc with his mates) and then he does his piano practice and then it's time for bath and bed. So when we would watch TV I have no idea, except possibly at weekends.

 

Not worth it.

 

 

* Later footnote: See below: QED

Well firstly, I hate to break it to you, but I’m a Trump supporter, so I’m not going to be agreeing with you on your first point.

 

Secondly, I’m not talking about different versions of TV. I’m talking about TV, as in not the internet or YouTube or Netflix. Do people still watch television, like the DIY channel, Food Network, Speed, the Outdoor Channel, Discovery, Weather Channel, SciFi, ESPN, etc... Do people still have Dish Network and Direct TV in their homes? Or is television dead? (Note: I know some of these channels are probably either gone or have changed names, but that’s what they were last time I watched TV).

Edited January 25, 2019 by Virtual

[GAHD]

Well firstly, I hate to break it to you, but I’m a Trump supporter, so I’m not going to be agreeing with you on your first point.

 

Secondly, I’m not talking about different versions of TV. I’m talking about TV, as in not the internet or YouTube or Netflix. Do people still watch television, like the DIY channel, Food Network, Speed, the Outdoor Channel, Discovery, Weather Channel, SciFi, ESPN, etc... Do people still have Dish Network and Direct TV in their homes? Or is television dead? (Note: I know some of these channels are probably either gone or have changed names, but that’s what they were last time I watched TV).

I havn't had or watched cable or satellite in...a long *** time. I honestly can't remember how long it's been. It never sat well with me that I'd pay for a service, only to have that service interrupted every few minutes because someone else paid them too. Commercials and advertisements in general just became too much too often. At least with the old ad-based internet you got something for free out of it, why the hell should I pay to watch obnoxious begging for my money?

 

With a very select few exceptions I go out of my way to make all advertising budgets a complete waste of money though adblock. The massive amount of advertisement signage in real life bothers me almost as much... but at least with the billboards above the urinals at the bar I've got something to aim at to show my displeasure.