Is there less enthusiasm for watching TV nowadays?

[PollyannaMom]

My big issue with TV is how many commercials are in the show.

Mine isn't the number of commercials, but how loud they are in relation ti the show itself. Drives me nuts, and is part of the reason I usually DVR things.

 

[TippyThomas]

Mine isn't the number of commercials, but how loud they are in relation ti the show itself. Drives me nuts, and is part of the reason I usually DVR things.

I have that problem with some of the podcasts I listen to. The commercials are startling and much louder than the regular content and there really isn't a warning that it's coming. I even set my player to normalize the audio and it still seems to be much louder. I have no idea what to do in order to fix it but I do know it's annoying. Very glad when I'm listening to an audio book because at least I know there won't be any loud commercials scaring me to death.

 

[tvguy]

Having children in 1987 and 1991 really changed my entertainment TV viewing. Consequently I never watched Friends or Seinfeld and when I had the time to watch, never got interested.
The last entertainment shows I watched regularly were St. Elsewhere, and Hill Street Blues in their first runs.
Although, we have discovered "Only Murders in the Building" on Disney+ (well, on both Hulu and Disney+) and are in the second season streaming.

 

[Praying Colonel]

A lot of my TV watching is app driven: YouTube, Netflix, Max, etc. When I watch the traditional network/cable stations, it's usually for live sports and some PBS (Masterpiece, American Experience and Finding Your Roots).

 

[disneyseniors]

Yes, I do think there's less enthusiam for TV. Before streaming services, everyone had the same channels. We watched the same shows and discussed them with our friends at work/school etc. The latest episode was always a topic of discussion the next day! Now there are so many choices of different shows to watch, and many people (like me!) binge them and watch the episodes on their own time vs. when the network puts them out. Our houeshold does not even have cable anymore which is true for many people, I think. Personally I'm usually overwhelmed with all the choices of shows and often find myself rewatching old favorites vs. finding new shows.

I agree with you 100%, however, we still have cable. We watch a lot of PBS shows which are always classy and interesting. We watch mostly regular cable tv with the networks. I also watch netflix and Amazon prime on my laptop, but most of the time it's regular cable tv. I like the mix of being able to watch both venues.

 

[snowwite]

I think it's just different nowadays than in the past.

There is some "draw-off" from new series because we can now re-watch our favorites whenever we want (and people do that when they need comfort.)

But I think folks still get excited when a really great series comes along. We just don't all watch it at the same time like we used to with broadcast TV, so the conversation isn't all the next morning.

Yes! We rewatched the entire Waltons series because my husband never got to experience it the first time.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Our interests/tastes change over the years. In high school I loved to watch basketball. Now it's a real yawner. I used to watch ice skating championships. Now i might tune in for the olympics finals, or to watch someone land a new quad, but otherwise I just don't care. Hobbies have changed over the years -- we just evolve.

 

[snowwite]

Mine isn't the number of commercials, but how loud they are in relation ti the show itself. Drives me nuts, and is part of the reason I usually DVR things.

I am deaf in one ear and even I think they are too loud. We mute them.

 

[snowwite]

A lot of my TV watching is app driven: YouTube, Netflix, Max, etc. When I watch the traditional network/cable stations, its usually for live sports and some PBS (Masterpiece, American Experience and Finding Your Roots).

We love PBS Masterpiece and Acorn

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I only watch a little TV at night in bed. Mostly. I do watch the local news during the day downstairs in the living room with my aunt from 4 p.m. to when the world news goes off at 7. I am mostly on my computer or reading or doing some craft. I used to watch a lot more.

I follow a bunch of YouTubers. I have a private playlist that I add to during the day on the PC, and then watch on my TV at night. I have to say that's most of my TV viewing.

 

[CynBeth]

We never watched GOT. We watch a lot of tv different types of shows on regular networks and cable channels including sports which are mostly baseball and football but we do have a lot of the streaming services as well for various things.

 

[Southernmiss]

TV watching is no longer what it used to be, especially with the under 30 crowd. 3 of my 4 20 somethings don't have a tv

Since cable has gotten expensive, others have found streaming which offers content more inline with what viewers want to see.

Like others, if dh wasn't here, I likely would have far fewer streaming services and would get my watching entertainment on a much smaller device than a TV.

 

[RangerPooh]

We ditched cable for YouTube tv. Iwatch network tv for the local news and Today Show in the morning. Occasionally I might watch Ghosts, but that’s about it. I don’t even know what day of the week or time it airs.

Sadly there’s not much on any of the channels that interest me. I’ll watch Hallmark movies (again and again), Dateline (lots of it), and occasionally Food network or Travel Channel.

I’m not interested in getting invested in a show that’ll probably be cancelled after one season.,I’m also not interested in reality tv, crime/fire/medical/law/fire dramas.

 

[sam_gordon]

Mine isn't the number of commercials, but how loud they are in relation ti the show itself. Drives me nuts, and is part of the reason I usually DVR things.

If it is a broadcast channel, cable, or satellite (so streaming doesn't apply). there's an FCC regulation about commercials needing to be at the same relative loudness of the program. It's called the CALM act and went into effect in 2012. https://www.fcc.gov/enforcement/are...ommission (FCC or,effect on December 13, 2012.

Specifically, the rules require TV stations, cable operators, satellite TV providers or other multichannel video program distributors (MVPDs) to apply the Advanced Television Systems Committee's (ATSC) A/85 Recommended Practice ("ATSC A/85 RP") to commercial advertisements they transmit to viewers.

...

The FCC relies on consumer complaints to monitor industry compliance with the CALM Act rules. Recognizing that commercials can seem loud, subjectively, without violating the rules, the Enforcement Bureau focuses on patterns or trends of complaints as the basis for enforcement action, rather than pursuing individual, isolated complaints. In the event the Enforcement Bureau notifies a station or MVPD of a pattern or trend of complaints, the station or MVPD must demonstrate compliance with the rules. Stations and MVPDs have two choices for demonstrating compliance with the rules: (1) by demonstrating actual compliance or (2) by demonstrating ongoing compliance with the ATSC A/85 RP.

I remember when my former station finally got equipment to "equalize" the audio. LOVED it!!!!

 

[disneychrista]

If it is a broadcast channel, cable, or satellite (so streaming doesn't apply). there's an FCC regulation about commercials needing to be at the same relative loudness of the program.

Thank you. I wondered why streaming the commercials would be louder when I thought that was no longer allowed.

 

[DCLMP]

A lot of my TV watching is app driven: YouTube, Netflix, Max, etc. When I watch the traditional network/cable stations, it's usually for live sports and some PBS (Masterpiece, American Experience and Finding Your Roots).

Agree with that. We have YouTube TV, but the only thing we watch on it is sports. We watch all the usual suspects when it comes to apps. There are several people I subscribe to on YouTube, Rumble, and some private subscriptions. It's been a decade or more since I watched any TV shows on the major networks.

 

[CdnCarrie]

Love my cable tv! We record lots of shows!
Never ever watched GOT.

YouTube for me is a tool to fix something. Not entertainment.

 

[tony67]

My big issue with TV is how many commercials are in the show. Many of these commercial breaks are four minutes long. We still have cable and I can record or DVR my shows. But that takes a lot of planning and keeps me from just trying a new show.

I can't believe how the networks seem to disregard how the quantity of commercials have affected viewership. They talk about all the reasons that viewership has dropped but never seem to admit that excessive commercial breaks have played a role.

One of the issues I have with it, especially on streaming, is the repetitive annoying commercials.

The same low budget commercial every break - its unwatchable.

Also getting tired of the breaks on You Tube - its getting out of hand and now they are up to 20 seconds - sometimes to watch a 30 second video.

There are ways around it, but sometimes its just not worth it.

 

[SteveH]

About the only TV w/commercials we watch is some Football. Beyond that we will buy a series and enjoy watching it without the interruptions and beyond annoying ads. We've enjoyed some of the AppleTV shows; Ted Lasso, For All Mankind and a few Prime Shows like Reacher. My wife will put Halmark Movies on in the back ground, and which usually drive me to another room But we just do not find interest in any of the old Alphabet networks. While I am a Trek lover, Star Trek Discovery was the last straw for me.

 

[mjkacmom]

A lot of my TV watching is app driven: YouTube, Netflix, Max, etc. When I watch the traditional network/cable stations, it's usually for live sports and some PBS (Masterpiece, American Experience and Finding Your Roots).

And I’ve watched some really great shows! Currently 6 feet under and Trying, but all different genres.