So who actually watches TV anymore?

[Koko Ricky]

I could be jumping the gun here, but with YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Instant, Vimeo, Vine and other services, watching regular broadcast TV or even cable TV seems...pointless. I can't help but assume that today's teens are much more interested in streaming video than waiting for a show to come on and sitting through three and four minute commercial breaks every quarter hour. Statistics claim the average American was watching several hours of TV daily about two decades ago, and it seems we've transferred that to online video. I watch a few hours of TV a week (if even that), and it's mostly to make fun of the programming, get inspiration for sketch comedy bits, or, on the off chance that something interesting is on, actually enjoy it legitimately. How about you?

[Clonehunter]

I've been using Netflix to watch The Clone Wars, but that's about it. I really just don't watch TV at all anymore, or shows. I used to watch The Walking Dead, and yah, even MLP. But with both shows in their fifth season, I've managed to only watch the pilots. They were good... Just... I don't really feel like devoting time to watch them at their air dates anymore, or to record and watch later.

I also never finished some other shows I watched a lot, like Oban Star Racers (A cartoon), Fargo, Wilfred, and Fringe. I loved all what I saw... But I dunno. I just, never went back to them and I've just fallen out of TV. I still watch a ton of movies, but not TV shows anymore.

Coincidentally, I have Buffy the Vampire complete on DVD, but I haven't touched it since I bought it. I've never seen the show, and it was the complete series for 7 bucks at a thrift store, so I said, "What the hell."

[geo]

My gf forces me to watch television. There's a lot of stuff I hate. Most of its prime time scripted dramas. For anyone that thinks television is dead, they've lost touch with the real world that exists outside of the Internet. The world that says we love CoD and EA sports games.

You feel watching broadcast tv is pointless? Youtube is recycled garbage that is somehow thrilling to people to hear what they already know. Those four minute commercial breaks are worth it for higher quality, bigger budget shows that you don't have to pay for. Free means a lot still. Like Satellite Radio exists and everyone hates ads, yet somehow terrestrial radio will always be around, even with the rise of MP3s.

Raises shield like I'm playing Dark Souls.

[Zed]

Speaking for myself, of course, I don't watch TV anymore since, like, maybe 4 or 5 years, except for some "especial" ocassions, mostly major sporting events (last one was this year's Superbowl, but I also like the Olympics and the World Cup). Apart from that, no, I practically never watch TV. I think most of today's shows are garbage (both local and cable), and in the few cases they aren't, chances are I'm probably going to find something better in the web. And even if I don't, I just can't stand 5 minutes of publicity every 10 minutes.

[Jaxxoon R]

What's even on TV, Zombie Show? All the characters are boring and unfunny. And none of them are Lee. I don't even know what a Game of Thrones is, like Lord of the Rings, I guess.

[tourniquet]

German TV is full of scripted reality soaps all day long, unbearable. Besides checking news and weather my TV is mainly a black screen gathering dust.

[Doomkid]

I have not watched an actual TV broadcast in eons. Once every few months I might catch a footy game, but I don't even have a set top box/aentenna at my house... It's all YouTube or other online videos.

[Philnemba]

Netflix & Hulu Plus is the new age of "T.V." these days for me :P

...also so many classic Dr. Who episodes to rewatch on Hulu XD

[nxGangrel]

Gosh. I haven't actually sat down and legitimately watched TV in around two years. There are even a couple shows I want to watch but I haven't cared to watch them.

The computer however is a completely different story. I'm on it every fraggin' day, and with multiple computers I might add. A work one, and a game one.

... The moral of the story is: My life is messed up.

[Avoozl]

I haven't bothered with TV since I was 17 and had my first PC.

[joe-ilya]

Me and my mom watch russian comedy, my dad watches baby shows(not MLP)

[MFG38]

I watched a decumentary about the man who survived Auschwitz on TV last week. Aside from similar rare occasions, I almost never watch TV.

[Cupboard]

AMC has a lot of great shows going for the past 5+ years.
Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, Turn, Better Caul Saul.

Comedy Central had The Daily Show and Colbert Report. Now it seems to be losing both of them so fast? Wtf. Larry Wilmore is good but I'm going into Colbert withdrawal and crashing without knowing I have a supply of Jon Stewart to ride this out. Seriously, I would have lost my sanity all together during 2000-2008 without those guys.

The Office was an amazing show. Had a great run. House M.D. was kinda fun and trippy. South Park is always awesome, fuck the haters. Best animated show in decades. Beyond that, Family Guy reruns and new American Dad. Seriously, American Dad is so much better than Family Guy now, in every measurable regard. American Dad has tapped into stoner humor without becoming completely weird Adult Swim where I feel like I need to be tripping balls to appreciate what I'm watching.

I watch Fox/CNN when I want to raise my blood pressure and debate the television screen. Very good practice for debating a person in real life actually because you learn how much bullshit people repeat over and over again until they *believe* it's real. Al-Jazeera and ONE when I want the best sources of cable news, they still have standards. MSNBC is about par for the course, kinda shitty and sensational, but also kind of not.

But yeah 90% of TV is dogshit. You have to cull the herd, know when and where to watch things online or borrow seasons of shows from your library. Nowadays I can't watch pure television for more than 30 minutes without being intoxicated. It feels like I'm wasting brain power.

[Maes]

TV is still going on strong in commie pinko Yurope. There's plenty of decent programming on the current DVB channels, actually, and at least some local TV station is gonna have some interesting doc or movie to watch. And you can just kick back, park yo big ass on da couch, and chill as you watch, yo, without all that clicking and computer ergonomics to spoil the fun.

[scifista42]

When I watch TV on my own, it's usually nothing else than movies I wanted to see (but I practically never care about movies so much to obtain them before a TV channel puts them to regular program). I rarely watch shows, series, documentaries etc, and I never watch TV news and never deliberately use TV as random sound background. I have the internet and Doom wads (and editors) for random distraction, not TV.

[40oz]

My wife insists on keeping cable for the fact that internet is cheaper from our isp if we bundle the two services together. I feel like its a scam because were paying a bit more money to also have services we dont need, but she also insists that she wants to have the news available to watch in case there's some kinda emergency or natural disaster or something. She still watches it for other things.

I don't know how paid television broadcast companies can really justify airing ads at a ratio of 80% ads to 20% actual content, when you gave to pay a monthly bill to be permitted to watch it. Its really insulting.

We use Netflix most of the time, though I wish it was a bit more customizable to reduce the need to have to interact with it between every show. Im trying to wean my wife off if TV with YouTube. We created a google account together and created some playlists together. One of them is music videos of all our favorite 80s and 90s pop bands. Its like watching MTV before it was shit and with only the music we like and without the commercials. Its pretty sweet. I also made one for myself of all Doom UV maxes, and another of all Doom educational stuff, like reviews, interviews with the developers, glitch tests, etc.

I started subscribing to a bunch of channels so we can navigate through our subscribed channels like the TV guide with our Nintendo Wii, although the Wii has been having compatibility problems with all of youtubes new updates lately.

Youtube actually has some pretty great stuff if your patient enough to find it all, and selectively subscribe only to the good stuff. New York times uploads at least two videos a day. Has a very neutral way of delivering news without 'reporting' it. Dead Kevin is a funny improv/sketch comedy trio that plays a lot of fun on social awkwardness. There's also some great channels about home remodeling/improving, cooking, documentaries, comedy standup, and other cool stuff wed probably watch tv for too.

[Phml]

I use my TV to watch Youtube playthroughs.

[Doom_Dude]

I'm sick of TV here in Canada.... Swamp People and crap reality and home renovation garbage. I really haven't watched much TV in the last 10 years or more. Shaw satellite is bleagh. I never did like the dumb assed cable TV packages with one station you want and the rest being garbage. The whole thing is bullshit. If it all died tomorrow I wouldn't give a shit.

I bought a blu-ray player recently that can stream Netflix / Youtube via wi-fi, or I can throw a video file on a USB flash drive and plug that into the player. If I want to watch something I'll just throw in a DVD or use Netflix / Youtuber. I have a large collection of movies on hand and sometimes I'll buy a movie for $5 or less. I'm certainly not hurting for shit to watch.

[Aliotroph?]

Sometimes I watch TV when I walk into a room where other people are watching TV. As a result I catch parts of lots of cooking shows, Discovery Channel crap, old movies, and The Big Bang Theory. I don't think cable is worth subscribing to.

If I really want to watch something I usually use my PC. Netflix is pretty nice, even in Canada.

[ETTiNGRiNDER]

I have two TV sets. One is a new-ish one hooked up to my main computer, and is in fact the screen I'm looking at now. I got it back when my old monitor broke and I needed a replacement immediately if not sooner, and all that shops in the local area could sell me was a TV with HDMI/VGA hookups. The other one is a CRT behemoth that can double as bodybuilding equipment, and has a Sega Genesis hooked up to it.

So yeah. Occasionally I might watch a DVD, but actual TV programs are not something I particularly miss.

[Graf Zahl]

No, I don't watch broadcast TV at all.
It's all too restricted and overinfested with advertisement, there's better means to get the interesting stuff.

I wouldn't be surprised if this antiquated medium died an agonizing death once the pre-internet generation has died off.

[MeetyourUnmaker]

on occasion

[GreyGhost]

I probably average about an hour a day of broadcast TV, mainly the nightly news on our only ad-free network plus the occasional comedy or documentary.

[Maes]

Graf Zahl said:

antiquated medium

This "antiquated medium" has one major advantage over anything requiring a computer: you can simply take it out of the box, plug it in and -oh wonder!- it will start showing you images and sounds of places far away. No cables, no contracts, no setups, no computer skills required whatsoever. Hell, it doesn't even require you to do anything but sit on your ass and watch ;-)

In other words, its inherent passivity is its strength (and the existence of a solid broadcast infrastructure, that is).

And realizing its power, no sane government is gonna let it slip, and will make sure that the proles always have something to watch 24/7.

[Graf Zahl]

Maes said:

This "antiquated medium" has one major advantage over anything requiring a computer:

You forget that distribution technology will also advance.

In a few years the same will be true for on-demand content. And that's the time when TV stations as we know them will no longer be able to compete.

How could they if the dumb people can stream all the brain-dead content they want without having to be bothered with the mandatory semi-intelligent gap-filler?

[Kontra Kommando]

I mainly watch AMC for the Walking Dead when its on. Other than that, its random news channels in the morning and when I get home after work (FOX, CNN, MSNBC, etc.) Bill Maher on Friday nights, if I happen to be home.

Other than that, I use Netflix for movies and TV series. Speaking of which, I just saw Death Wish; I love that movie.

Regular broadcast television still has live sporting events; that's what's keeping it going.

[Maes]

Graf Zahl said:

You forget that distribution technology will also advance.

We're on different wavelengths here. I'm thinking of TV as an appliance that even the most ignorant and isolated 3rd world peasant can use in the middle of nowhere (as long as there's a power source, a car battery if need be), you're referring to 1st world subtleties like digital distribution of content and whatnot.

Even if the 1st world advances to the point that there's really no more demand for a passive, one-way medium, don't forget that there are a few billion people out there who are still dreaming of getting their first TV set...preferably in colour.

In fact, had read somewhere that one of the very first things an typical African, Brazilian, Indian etc. does, when he is left with some disposable income or enough savings, is to buy his very own TV set. Even a slum looks better with a nice 14" TV in the corner ;-)

[Pencil of Doom]

I rarely watch TV, it's mostly news if i'm watching Tv, other than that, i watch a lot of videos on YT.
To me YT is like a next-gen TV, except it's on Pc and other modern devices.

[durian]

We have a TV, but no TV service - we use downloads and internet catch-up services for the few programs we want to watch, and otherwise the TV is used for gaming, Twitch, and watching movies. My partner actually works in TV - a producer of some sort - but very rarely watches it.

[Enjay]

I almost never watch TV. I don't think that I have watched any this year yet. The last thing would probably have been around Christmas.

Have I replaced it with an alternative source of visual entertainment? Maybe a little. I do watch a little bit of streamed stuff but not much really.

I still go to the movies but those visits are neither more nor less frequent than, say, 10 years ago.

No, I replaced TV with being too busy doing stuff that isn't sitting and watching visual entertainment - and, unfortunately, not particularly fun alternatives most of the time. i.e. instead of watching TV, real life has just gotten too busy for me to have the time to just sit around and be entertained. :(