Would you be sorry to see traditional, scheduled TV go?

[Mildredop]

With the rise and rise of things like Netflix and Amazon, viewers are steadily abandoning traditional TV in favour of streaming services.

The likes of Netflix have enormous budgets and can create truly high-end stuff. And there's no ads. And you can watch it whenever you like. And wherever you like.

So would you care if the traditional stations with their scheduled programming disappeared?

 

[maflynn]

Yes, I actually cut the cord for a time, but the negatives of such a move out weighed the positives.

I don't think we're at a point that it make sense. There's many people doing it, and this may be a generational issue (older people wanting traditional tv vs. streaming) but I think we'll not see the disappearance of scheduled tv shows anytime soon

 

[D.T.]

Older guy here whose family doesn't watch anything scheduled and only a few things on "network TV" (that we watch on our schedule via their own, or a 3rd party streaming services like Hulu).

So I guess my answer is __no__.

 

[Juicy Box]

So would you care if the traditional stations with their scheduled programming disappeared?

I personally wouldn't care, as I have not watched a scheduled TV show on live TV is over 10 years, well, other than news channels.

There's many people doing it, and this may be a generational issue (older people wanting traditional tv vs. streaming) but I think we'll not see the disappearance of scheduled tv shows anytime soon

This is true. It reminds me of my baby-boomer parents, along with some of my older siblings.

My parents schedule being home at certain times to watch TV shows, such as Survivor. My 41 yo brother still channel surfs. My 50 yo brother doesn't have any type of streaming, and I am not sure if he even has internet.

On the other end, my teenage children never watch live TV, at least when they are at my home. I think they might watch live TV when they visit my parents house.

Even after traditional scheduled TV shows disappear, there will always be sports that people much rather prefer to watch live.

 

[Papanate]

Not really. I cancelled cable 1.5 years ago and do not watch
Network programs. My 13 year old watches YouTube almost exclusively.
I do watch Netflix and Amazon Prime occasionally.

 

[millerj123]

We dumped cable tv three years ago. My boys watch YouTube, while my wife and I stream Netflix and Prime.

 

[mollyc]

We still have cable, but rarely watch anything live, other than my husband watching an occasional sporting event. We still watch a number of network shows, but TiVo them, and honestly I prefer to let any given series build up and watch 2-3 at a time, just to keep a better story going.

 

[Mousse]

I sure as hail would. Although I watch mostly PBS (home repair, wood working, arts and crafts and cooking shows). About the only thing I watch on the other networks are Star Trek reruns and American football.

 

[Phil A.]

Pretty much the only thing we watch on schedule is live sport. We still have a full cable package (mainly to get that aforementioned sport!), but virtually everything is recorded and then watched later (handy for skipping adverts)
Having said that, while I do watch a lot of Netflix and Amazon Prime video, there are still things that are on broadcast TV that I enjoy and which aren't on any streaming platform so unless removing scheduled TV meant that everything that is currently broadcast is available on demand, I'd probably miss it

 

[AmazingRobie]

Yes, it would be nice to have a few less broadcast signals floating around in the air. In fact, let's do away with radio as well, as music is just as much garbage as television. Maybe people will be more attentive to things going on in their household and while driving without all the additional distractions. I look forward to a world where people go out weekly to view public performances. It would create a lot more work for real actors and musicians. That's a benefit.

 

[oldmacs]

Yes, it would be nice to have a few less broadcast signals floating around in the air. In fact, let's do away with radio as well, as music is just as much garbage as television.

Or if you don't like radio... perhaps just don't listen? I like to listen to the radio sometimes. Breaks up the morning commute.

There are multiple shows I watch on FTA television in Australia. We do have some good content being shown. I actually like a week or days between watching the latest episode of my favourite show. Binging is a bit of a disappointment when its all over.

 

[D.T.]

This is true. It reminds me of my baby-boomer parents, along with some of my older siblings.

My parents schedule being home at certain times to watch TV shows, such as Survivor. My 41 yo brother still channel surfs. My 50 yo brother doesn't have any type of streaming, and I am not sure if he even has internet.

Yeah, we're kind of outliers, we have a less "traditional" lifestyle, dislike just about everything on network, and I've been heavily into tech (both personally and professionally) for decades.

We dumped cable tv three years ago. My boys watch YouTube, while my wife and I stream Netflix and Prime.

Yeah, with the exception of a couple of shows, our little G mostly just watches YT or reads for her "content consumption".

 

[gkarris]

With the rise and rise of things like Netflix and Amazon, viewers are steadily abandoning traditional TV in favour of streaming services.

The likes of Netflix have enormous budgets and can create truly high-end stuff. And there's no ads. And you can watch it whenever you like. And wherever you like.

So would you care if the traditional stations with their scheduled programming disappeared?

There are many ads in the programs I stream.

I don't really know what "Scheduled Programming" is since I got that Betamax back in 1982...

 

[Juicy Box]

I've been heavily into tech (both personally and professionally) for decades.

I think this is a big factor for how people entertain themselves today.

This is slightly off topic, I recently did a poll on this forum, and a local community forum, asking people how much they pay for cable/internet. I also gave tips on how to save on their cable and internet bills.

The poll results from the two forums were not even remotely close, as it looked like people on this tech-forum had on average, much lower cable bills than my average neighbor. The poll itself was hardly scientific though, as there were people from around the world participating, which could skew the results.

But, it did seem that people that were not into tech, paid a crazy amount for their internet. Many of them were older, and did not know much about streaming TV and video.

Here are the latest results from the local forum poll:

 

[gkarris]

I think this is a big factor for how people entertain themselves today.

This is slightly off topic, I recently did a poll on this forum, and a local community forum, asking people how much they pay for cable/internet. I also gave tips on how to save on their cable and internet bills.

The poll results from the two forums were not even remotely close, as it looked like people on this tech-forum had on average, much lower cable bills than my average neighbor. The poll itself was hardly scientific though, as there were people from around the world participating, which could skew the results.

But, it did seem that people that were not into tech, paid a crazy amount for their internet. Many of them were older, and did not know much about streaming TV and video.

Here are the latest results from the local forum poll:

View attachment 757183

You'd be surprised.

I kept hearing this one guy where I used to work how "poor he was" and had to call the cable company to delay his payment. His bill was around $140/month (all channels and high-speed Internet)....

Yeah, right.... really needs his Sports and Outdoor channel not to mention quick Internet service...

I think Cable's become some sort of "comfort service" where just paying for all that service "feels nice"(?)

Cable companies are laughing to the bank...

 

[eyoungren]

I'm not a fan of on demand watching.

Generally I tend to do two things. If I am interested in a show then I become involved. If there is more than one episode on tap then it comes down to binge watching. Binge watching, for me, I have discovered leads to exhaustion. When I get involved in something I generally like to finish it. I cant just watch an episode or two. I have to at the very least complete half a season before I can allow myself to walk away.

With scheduled TV I get what I get.

My second thing is that since I was a teen, the TV has always been on as background noise. I want a show or programming that is interesting enough to catch my eye once in a while but not so interesting that I must stop browsing the web on my computer and become involved. I cannot and do not want to split my attention that way.

With programming that is not scheduled you have to choose what you want to watch. And the streaming services aren't interested in airing stuff that can be used as background noise. They want you drawn in.

This is just me.

 

[ActionableMango]

I haven't watched scheduled TV in probably 25 years or more. Even before DVR's existed to help people do this, I used a stack of VCRs to record the shows I wanted to watch, then watched them on my schedule and without commercials.

The entire concept of watching a show on the specific time and day that the studio wants, instead of when I want to watch it, seems colossally backward and inconvenient. I would observe people literally organize their lives around TV shows. "I have to be home in time for Simpsons", or not being able to go out on a night when a show is on, or watching a few shows they didn't like because it fell between two shows they did. It's madness.

 

[bunnspecial]

I'm someone who would be sorry to see it go.

I have a few shows I keep up with, and in all honesty after a busy(and sometimes long) day at work it's nice to have a known entity to look forward to coming home and watching. For me, that means the evening news and then USUALLY a regular series.

Yes, I do use a DVR and/or on demand since I can't always see new episodes of the shows I watch when they air, but most of the time I prefer to watch them at their scheduled time.

Also, it's hard to get around things like sports programming. I'm just glad that-as long as I'm getting my job done-no one cares if I have a regular season Kentucky basketball game pulled up on one of my computer screens if I'm working late(even though I do work at a rival university ). During conference tournaments and the NCAA tournament, I'm not the only one in the building who almost always has a game showing.

 

[jeyf]

the fax machine
florescent light fixtures
oil based paint
telephone
alkaline batteries

and

television

 

[JamesMike]

College sports keep me using it.

 

[SRLMJ23]

Regulate commercials! Way too long, and way too many per show. It gets worse and worse every year it seems!

I went with DirecTV NOW when it first came out, and I am still with it. Saved me $88.75/month from Time Warner|Spectrum, and I get all the channels and more that I got with my cable subscription (free HBO, free BIG10 Network and a lot of other sports networks you have to pay for with cable) I just keep my internet service through TWC|Spectrum and the rest is DirecTV NOW, sometimes CBS All-Access, and a couple other pay apps because there is no live local channels in my area yet for DirecTV NOW. That is my only BIG complaint about DirecTV NOW right now, no local channels! Get with it AT&T/DirecTV NOW!

Goodluck, whatever your decision may be!

 

[Mildredop]

Older guy here whose family doesn't watch anything scheduled and only a few things on "network TV" (that we watch on our schedule via their own, or a 3rd party streaming services like Hulu).

So I guess my answer is __no__.

I personally wouldn't care, as I have not watched a scheduled TV show on live TV is over 10 years, well, other than news channels.

We dumped cable tv three years ago. My boys watch YouTube, while my wife and I stream Netflix and Prime.

And is all the stuff Netfilx/Amazon originals or films? Or is it stuff that was on network tv, but is now available to stream?

I find myself streaming a lot of comedies, dramas etc. that were on TV several years ago, but don't watch masses of original Netflix stuff.

And for those whose kids only watch YouTube, what are they actually watching? Original content?
[doublepost=1523038357][/doublepost]

the fax machine
florescent light fixtures
oil based paint
telephone
alkaline batteries

and

television

To be fair, all those things still exist, but have evolved:

the fax machine - emails
florescent light fixtures - led strips
oil based paint - well, oil based paint
telephone - smartphone
alkaline batteries - rechargeable batteries

Television still exists, but it's evolving. But people thought radio would die, but it's still going strong. People thought theatre would end when cinema came along, and cinema would end when television came along, but they're all still here.

Will the majority actually always want some sort of scheduled TV where they might stumble across something they wouldn't have chosen to watch?

 

[D.T.]

And the streaming services aren't interested in airing stuff that can be used as background noise. They want you drawn in.

This is just me.

Funny enough, I do quite a bit of "background" TV as well, and I love the streaming options for this. I can run animated shows like Futurama, Simpsons, Bob's Burgers that I've seen countless times and so they don't require much attention (since I'm so familiar with the content). The last couple of weeks I've been running Silicon Valley in the BG

And is all the stuff Netfilx/Amazon originals or films? Or is it stuff that was on network tv, but is now available to stream?

I find myself streaming a lot of comedies, dramas etc. that were on TV several years ago, but don't watch masses of original Netflix stuff.

And for those whose kids only watch YouTube, what are they actually watching? Original content?

FWIW, we have an antenna in the attic, with an HD homerun so we get free OTA HD through our entire home network (into devices like Apple TV using Channels), so we always have a plan for the rare occasion we want to watch something live.

We only watch a few network shows, we [usually] just catch up with them on streaming. We watch quite a few cable shows, though I realize that can be a bit vague, I mean non-primary network, but not necessarily "premium" channels like HBO, ex: AMC and FX.

We watch a decent amount of original programming, but isn't it all "original"? That includes from services like Netflix and Hulu (Peaky Blinders, House of Cards, Handmaidens Tale, etc.)

 

[eyoungren]

Funny enough, I do quite a bit of "background" TV as well, and I love the streaming options for this. I can run animated shows like Futurama, Simpsons, Bob's Burgers that I've seen countless times and so they don't require much attention (since I'm so familiar with the content). The last couple of weeks I've been running Silicon Valley in the BG

I'm part of the 'latchkey' generation, so the TV being on for background noise in an otherwise empty house is what I grew up with (which is not to say I had absent parents, just we all came home at different times).

I can see your point. But then I'd have to decide WHICH series to stream, LOL!

 

[Mac'nCheese]

Yes since I work for a tradition media company that makes most of its money that way!