UK traditional TV viewing sees record decline, Ofcom report says
UK traditional TV viewing sees record decline, Ofcom report says
The watchdog's annual report also says older audiences are switching off at the fastest rate ever.
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Is anyone suprised by this?
Why would I ever turn on the telly to watch what someone else decided I should be watching at that time? It’s crazy in the current landscape.
I mean I don't watch "normal" TV either but I can see the potential appeal.
Most TV is just trash and a waste of time anyway so for some I guess the feeling of connection is more important than the particular content.
Take Saturday night telly for example. There's a really long street near me full of kinda posh-looking terrace houses and the living rooms are really easy to see into, especially at dusk before the curtains get closed.
Sometimes I walk down the road on a Saturday night and you see such a diverse range of people from families to young couples to old people sat with a blanket on their own all watching the same program which there's something quite nice about I think. Likewise with things like Strictly, Bake-off etc people seem to enjoy watching the episodes at the same time so they can discuss with their friends/on social media.
I don't watch sports either but I'm in a WhatsApp group with some friends and every now and again a message will just randomly appear saying something like "shit effort" and I know there must be a football game on. It's kinda nice that they can just assume the others are watching.
Basically I think when you're watching for entertainment, being able to curate your experience more is really great, but there's a social dimension to scheduled telly that I think some might still appreciate.
It’s dying, though. I do social watching with friends all the time, and pretty much no one I can think of sees anything as it’s being broadcast. Kids, work, timezones, etc all get in the way.
Sporting events
Live events like sports are also gradually being picked up by streaming services instead of traditional broadcasters.
How often do you find yourself scrolling past shows wondering what to watch, and realise you've wasted 30 minutes doing so?
Not at all, I usually go in knowing what I want to watch.
Well it’s always useful to back our assumptions with actual numbers.
If these trends continue it’s going to increase pressure on the BBCs licensing model I would guess.
Given that the lisence covers iPlayer and their podcast output as well it seems like they're already adapting.
But iPlayer and BBC Sounds are just one more competitor in the streaming and podcast market.
If enough people stop watching broadcast television, the argument to maintain the TV license disappears.