Posted on 04/08/2013 2:43:32 AM PDT by markomalley
Some people have had it with TV. They've had enough of the 100-plus channel universe. They don't like timing their lives around network show schedules. They're tired of $100-plus monthly bills.
A growing number of them have stopped paying for cable and satellite TV service, and don't even use an antenna to get free signals over the air. These people are watching shows and movies on the Internet, sometimes via cellphone connections. Last month, the Nielsen Co. started labeling people in this group "Zero TV" households, because they fall outside the traditional definition of a TV home. There are 5 million of these residences in the U.S., up from 2 million in 2007.
Winning back the Zero TV crowd will be one of the many issues broadcasters discuss at their national meeting, called the NAB Show, taking place this week in Las Vegas.
While show creators and networks make money from this group's viewing habits through deals with online video providers and from advertising on their own websites and apps, broadcasters only get paid when they relay such programming in traditional ways. Unless broadcasters can adapt to modern platforms, their revenue from Zero TV viewers will be zero.
"Getting broadcast programing on all the gizmos and gadgets — like tablets, the backseats of cars, and laptops — is hugely important," says Dennis Wharton, a spokesman for the National Association of Broadcasters.
Although Wharton says more than 130 TV stations in the U.S. are broadcasting live TV signals to mobile devices, few people have the tools to receive them. Most cellphones require an add-on device known as a dongle, but these gadgets are just starting to be sold.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
That would be me. Haven’t had a TV in years. Don’t miss it.
There is nothing broadcast or provided on cable that is worth watching. Every show now is loaded with perverted story lines.
Even the kid shows are horrible trash.
<p
ditto
“There is nothing broadcast or provided on cable that is worth watching. Every show now is loaded with perverted story lines. Even the kid shows are horrible trash.”
Exactly; how long did they think white guys were going to watch shows depicting them as racist buffoons, failing to see the value in their smarter, more compassionate female and minority peers? TV today is “Bizarro World”, where the real world I see around me is turned upside down.
ping
Oh I like Duck Dynasty...and live harness racing from our local track, The Meadows...and QVC...sigh.
If I could get Turner Classic Movies—and nothing else—for a few dollars a month, I’d get it. As it is, I don’t have a TV.
Agreed. There are a total of about 10 channels that I ever watch...ever.
I would love to be able to order a la carte.
Couldn't agree more. I also haven't had TV in years, and have no idea what the current programming is (with the exception of The Walking Dead, because I hear about it all the time).
I do have Netflix and pick and choose things to watch periodically. When I've looked at some of the recent TV shows via Netflix it's really irritating how predictably politically correct they are. It's always the woman who is smart, tough, and brave. There's frequently a falsely accused minority, and in the end it's some white guy who is the criminal. There's also frequently some poor Muslim who is just a nice holy guy but gets falsely accused of something because of our prejudiced American ‘conservative’ culture. If I watch anything with my child I feel the need to explain what's real and what's propaganda.
Because many don’t want brainwashing sewage pumped into their homes... And have to pay for it to add insult to injury.
Glad to hear I’m not the only one.
Even the kid shows are horrible trash.
Worse, are the never ending ads. An example of how stupid “they” think we are, and apparently “they” are right.
I watched “The Walking Dead” when it first aired, but it is more of the same PC crap - bad white guys and loyal, dedicated women and minorities. I do like the whole zombie phenomenon, though; people practicing shooting at zombie targets will quickly adjust to shooting similar-sized threats.
“Law & Order” takes the cake for PC nonsense (for current programs); “Friends” (in which various characters breed, but none within a traditional relationship) held that prize for the longest time.
If I could find a way to watch sports, with good quality, I’d jettison my DirecTv today. As it is I suspend it for six months then turn it on again usually in late August and shut it down again after the Super Bowl.
Just get yourself an HDMI cable, hook it up to your computer, and watch thousands of free shows on the internet on your tv. Of course, most of them are old shows, but you can watch quite a few new shows as well. Most of the networks have their prime time shows on the internet. I don’t like network tv. I actually like to watch old movies and tv shows
Check out hulu.com, it’s free. HuluPlus is about $8/mo. It’s not perfect but you can pick exactly what you want. It does eat bandwidth though
Maybe, but the gist of the story as I read it was just that some people decided to take their brainwashing in a different form; on their mobile devices.
Ditto here. I turned mine off in 2001 and never turned it back on.
That would be me. Haven’t had a TV in years. Don’t miss it.
That would be both of us. Life is so much better without TV.
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