Is Traditional TV on the Brink of Extinction?
Today, traditional TV is still regarded as the best source of entertainment by many, but a recent study shows that it is not as dominant as it was a few years ago.
You don’t believe it?
Well, think about yourself – during your free time, do you hold your TV remote more than your smartphone or tablet? Of course, you interact with your smart gadgets more than you do with broadcast television.
Millennials want to watch what they want when they want it, and this is not possible with traditional broadcast television. This explains why video-streaming platforms; such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, have gained popularity world-over, and why sites such as YouTube get billions of visits every day.
Traditional viewing habits have slowly been eroded by technology. If you are a sports enthusiast, you don’t need to pay a cable TV subscription to enjoy your favorite sport
There are hundreds of online platforms that air various sports, and they have now gained traction through the globe. Experts say that there is a fast-rising interest in watching sports online among the youth and the older generation.
For sports gamblers, the integrations of various technologies in e-sports allows them to engage in live betting, and even explorethe current betting contenders of the Kentucky Derby, on Twinspires.com, without having to visit a betting shop.
But does this mean that traditional TV is on the brink of death?
According to PwC, a whopping 81 million Americans will either cut their cable TV cords or never sign up for cable TV subscriptions by 2021.
Another report shows that in 2017, Americans aged 18-24 watched less than two hours of traditional TV every day. Since then, there has been a significant decrease in TV viewership especially by Millennials.
Well, we confidently say that TV is not yet dead since it’s still popular among the older generation, but its future is profoundly threatened and uncertain.
There are various reasons why people, especially teens and young adults, hate TV. They include:
People have always hated commercials
With the emergence of platforms such as Hulu, iTunes, Amazon Prime, Unbox, and a host of other internet services, people no longer have to watch TV shows that are disrupted every ten minutes by commercials.
Look – commercials interrupt the story, drama, and flow of any show, and this is why people hate them.
As long as you subscribe to a good service on iTunes or Netflix, you can stream your favorite TV programs commercial-free.
There are more options than ever before
We cannot shy away from the fact that the internet has enabled amazing technologies that could only be imagined a generation ago.
This has led to the availability of many options – most of which allow users to watch what they want, whenever they want. The flexibility and convenience that comes with the internet have prompted people to flee traditional TV.
Whether you want to get real-time news or you want to watch a live show, there is a tool on the web that can convert your wish into reality.
The internet is now a primary source of entertainment
Previously, people used to turn to TV to get entertained. Perhaps one of the factors that have threatened the future of television is the fact that people are now more focused on internet content, which they find more diverse, personalized, and entertaining.
Critics argue that shows made exclusively for online consumption lack the production values and polish of traditional TV, but surprisingly, this is the type of content that modern audiences love. Besides, online content is more compelling and significantly shorter than TV shows, which makes it attractive for most audiences.
The traditional broadcast TV might not be dead yet, but online video is closing fast!
According to recent studies, over half of the U.S adult population watch an online video every day. Additionally, two-thirds of the population in the demographic of 18-34 years regard the internet as their primary source of entertainment.
Well, as mentioned earlier, TV is not dead yet, but it is less critical as it used to be especially among young adults who are busy starting families and careers. In fact, reports say that this section of the population don’t own TVs, which is a strange turn-around from the times when every household has at least one television set.
If this trend continues, then we might have a generation where traditional TV will be as old-fashioned as a kitchen radio.