"No-TV-elitism"

What's your opinion on TV? With on-demand and streaming becoming so commonplace now (and so accessible) I find it's still sturdy popularity baffling as I hate the thing myself and treat these services as a blessing.

Any hate towards TV is often brushed off as "No-TV-elitism" though because of some of the sillier claims people have made in the past about the actual device and the health risks it causes. My problem isn't with the box however (as I already spend all day in front of a screen) but with the programming, and I won't stop hating on it until either the 15+ minutes of advertising there is on there for every hour of actual programming is cut down or the situation gets equally ridiculous on the internet - or maybe even if they just start playing some good new stuff on there!; At the moment the same episode of the same terrible show is being played up to four times in a single day, and then on top of that it'll only take like a week or two for it to be recycled again! (C4&E4 I'm looking at you)

Now, you might say that it's not just shows that TV programming has to offer, but even things like news programs have begun to feel very dated what with the incredible amount of information (that's often straight from the source too) being shared everywhere online, and the speed at which this is being done.

In general I think it's become a very strange thing, and that it's only getting stranger as more and more newer and better content delivery services are popping up.

I guess the reason for a lot of people not adopting Netfllix and the like could be the extra overhead a subscription to an online streaming service would add on to each months expenses though, but stop paying your license fee (or whatever the equivalent is for you) for your regular TV and you'd probably be able to pay for a Netflix account and then some, right? And to be comfortable with your only news sources being so few and so 'big' is something I find very scary. (Newpapers are no different here, so no out for people jumping on that)

No, I think the reason TV still has such a strong a foothold is because of people being largely unaware of what the internet truly has to offer, coupled with the age old image problem it has (of being an unreliable source of information, a sea of idiots .etc)

What do you think though? And what's your main source for shows these days? Do you still get your news from TV programming too?

I'm eager to read your responses!

And if this might belong anywhere else, such as the Other Chat or Technology & Internet sections: My apologies!

I get my news from public radio. NPR, KCUR, Harvest Public Media. Evening news on TV is a joke compared to public radio; a sad, sickening joke.

I don't really watch TV very much at all anymore, because when I do, I tend to watch for hours on end.

I don't watch TV, so I can't really offer an opinion on it. In fact, I don't even subscribe to a cable or satellite service, nor do I subscribe to an online streaming service. If I want to watch a show, I wait for the DVD to come out.

I don't really watch TV apart from the odd show or two. Most stuff I watch is from a DVD or on the internet.

Here in the UK, TV shows tend to go for poor quality but cheap shows the masses seem to love (X factor, Soaps, Britons got "talent").

Same goes for radio top 40 rubbish, no real choice.

On adverts, I don't mind them on the TV (good for toilet and food brakes) but really hate radio adverts/news (time to change the station).

The worst thing about the UK is you need a TV licence to own a TV (Criminal offence if you don't have one) which is used to fund the BBC so even if you never watch BBC channels or never watch TV full stop (but use DVD or play video games etc) you still have to pay.

TV has a foothold even though we have Netflix for the same reason radio has a foothold even though we have MP3 players.

I think a lot of it comes down actually to choice overload. If someone can literally watch anything in the entire world at any time, they might get choice paralysis, afraid of making the wrong choice and not spending their time "effectively". But if it's narrowed down to what's on TV, it makes it much easier to choose. If you like SVU and it's on, you just put it on without thinking "but do I really feel like watching SVU? Maybe I'd rather watch a movie that I saw once 20 years ago, am I sure this is my decision? I could watch a new show instead..." Choice paralysis is a real thing and people do try to avoid it even if they don't know it exists.

It's the same reason I base recipes off of what's on sale at the grocery store even if I never save more than 5 bucks - it narrows down my options to help me make a choice.

I have trouble following fictional stories unless I'm actively participating, like in a video game. I don't find television very entertaining unless its a documentary, and documentaries aren't so popular with the ratings. I usually stick to youtube, because it has a lot of reuploaded documentaries.

We need quick and on-demand access to TV shows in Australia desperately.

We are the biggest pirates of TV shows because our standard TV channels air shows 6 months after the U.S.A. (only Channel 10/11 airs a day or two after) or shows are on subscription channels that require you to pay at least $30/month for a bunch of channels you don't want just to watch one show (or more, heaven forbid the show is on a channel that isn't in the standard pack!). No wonder we pirate everything. We're such massive pirates that it isn't even considered very bad (by ourselves) - everyone just does it.

It's not that we're not willing to pay, we just want to pay a reasonable amount with access to the content we want, without being forced to pay for stuff we don't want.

Most of the shows on TV (subscription or free-to-air) are garbage.

Lotus the Cat said:

We need quick and on-demand access to TV shows in Australia desperately.

We are the biggest pirates of TV shows because our standard TV channels air shows 6 months after the U.S.A. (only Channel 10/11 airs a day or two after) or shows are on subscription channels that require you to pay at least $30/month for a bunch of channels you don't want just to watch one show (or more, heaven forbid the show is on a channel that isn't in the standard pack!). No wonder we pirate everything. We're such massive pirates that it isn't even considered very bad (by ourselves) - everyone just does it.

It's not that we're not willing to pay, we just want to pay a reasonable amount with access to the content we want, without being forced to pay for stuff we don't want.

Most of the shows on TV (subscription or free-to-air) are garbage.

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I have UK friends that say the same thing. ProjectFreeTv is their life!

I actually like going on there to check out UK and once in a once in while an Austrailian show. Sometimes reality TV from other countries can be entertaining, observing all of the differences. It's interesting to think about the effect that high international viewership of USA shows has in International Relations. Same can be said with US news, the world knows about are political atmosphere, while we tend to know less about other countries, and their political attitudes.

Eeeeeh, I'm so-so about TV. .w.

I watch four or five shows that are seasonal, usually fall TV dramas, but other than that I don't watch much TV. Most of what I watch is online nowadays, and I get flack from my family because I "only watch **** on the computer, and never take the time for TV". The things that I do watch are done with them, so we watch them together. I wish they wouldn't harp on me because I don't watch 50 TV shows. A lot of what I prefer to watch are things from other countries that don't air here. I love that we have that option now days.

I don't watch TV and I have not I think going on 4 years now. I really do like the netflix option but like some have stated its like having all the power in you hand you are going to need some self dicipline. For what they are offering the price is not bad (8-9) but I would be willing to pay more if they updated regularly with the shows and movies. I think also a lot of people are not adopting it because they do miss live events, sports and whatever so in most cases they have them both. I wish they can do something about that at least events that are broadcast on local TV.

I don't watch tv for quality programs. I watch it for something different, something someone else chose to watch. If it were up to me it'd be anime and sitcoms all day the fact that there are different genres that I don't A) know about and B) don't appreciate enough to binge watch offers me a chance to relax with some casual viewing.
That and I never have to choose what movie to watch on Friday nights.

I don't see how some people sit and stare at any screen for hours on end, especially the television. It's always the same thing running, and occasionally new shows that you have to wait a week to watch (and months for a new season).

I watch maybe two to three episodes of anime on my laptop day-to-day if I'm lucky. The only time my flat-screen sees use is if I need to check the weather. I'd rather go outside or lay down and listen to music than watch repeats of the same boring old shows. Netflix claims to have an amazing variety, but I cancelled my subscription due to lack of aforementioned variety.

I just can't believe a lot of America's population is obese because they do nothing but eat and watch T.V. What a senseless way to spend time, which is so valuable, especially when you're young.

I really doubt I'll have a T.V. when I move into my own place. It seems like a waste of money.