Just curious about everyone's current viewing habits.

I find myself watching MUCH less TV than I used to. Not because I have gone snobbish or don't enjoy the medium itself, just because I honestly can find very little programming that I am interested in. In fact, I've taken to turning both of my TVs off for long periods of time while I'm home, something I never used to do. Particularly on weekends, which used to have so much quality TV when I was young, I simply can't find anything good on to watch.

Mine only serves as a night light and a trap to catch mosquitos.

Just curious about everyone's current viewing habits.

I find myself watching MUCH less TV than I used to. Not because I have gone snobbish or don't enjoy the medium itself, just because I honestly can find very little programming that I am interested in. In fact, I've taken to turning both of my TVs off for long periods of time while I'm home, something I never used to do. Particularly on weekends, which used to have so much quality TV when I was young, I simply can't find anything good on to watch.
http://i42.tinypic.com/2ed1uvc.jpg

10 years ago? Time creeps up on us fast lately - that's only 2002. I was watching what there was left of the 15-minute educational shows that public TV was showing anymore (I think that stopped completely in our area in 2004), but that was about it. There were a very few things I've seen since then.

I think I watch about the same amount, timewise. Perhaps even a smidgeon more. But there's a big difference. Nowadays, 95% of what I view are 'old shows' on dvd. I've given up entirely on all current programming, other than a bit of news/weather and such. Modern television has just become too repellent and out-of-sync with my tastes. I'm sure there might still be a small handful of shows I would find enjoyable, but it gradually became no longer worth the effort to sift through the garbage to find. Sort of akin to descending into an open sewer to find a tiny nugget of gold. After so many years of this, I just felt "to hell with it all." So, I just watch my large collection of dvd's, which I derive tremendous pleasure from.

I definitely watch A LOT less television than I did ten years ago. 2002-2005 was the peak of my TV viewing - new and older shows. These days, though I have a handful of shows every week, I find myself being less excited and interested in them. It feels like a chore sometimes. I don't have shows that I truly love and care about anymore. I know there's been some excellent shows during the last decade, but I'm just not into it anymore. I'm hoping 2012 will change that.

I am with broadmoor--I just watch my variety of TV on DVDs which I find much more satisfying

I picked much more because before I got sick I only watched TV with the family in the evenings. Since I've gotten sick and live in the bed now I keep the TV on all the time that I'm not sleeping.

I am with broadmoor--I just watch my variety of TV on DVDs which I find much more satisfying


Seconded.

Thirded. (Is that even a word???) I watch the same amount, but watch more DVDs and videos and less broadcast TV.

I watch the same amount or possibly even more. It is so much easier to watch things whenever I want to.

I definitely do, I think part of that has to do with how little of the shows appeal to me these days lol

I watch MUCH more.

I watch about the same. The only difference is I watch from my DVR most of the time. I only watch about 3 or 4 live shows every week. I make my own tv lineup. lol

^ I probably should have put a separate choice in there regarding the use of DVDS, etc. I was really thinking just about normal television watching. Oh well, the responses are doing that job for me, I guess, lol.

I picked much more because before I got sick I only watched TV with the family in the evenings. Since I've gotten sick and live in the bed now I keep the TV on all the time that I'm not sleeping.


Hey, Tater, sorry you're bedridden. But I'm glad TV can provide some distraction from your illness. Sending good wishes your way! :)

Much less. I feel youtube, hulu killed tv.

I'm with the DVD crowd on this one. Because of DVDs (and PVR), my viewing of television programs has definitely increased but the amount of "live television" is almost non-existent. Between the proliferation of old shows on home video, the overall poor quality of TV shows these days, and the sickening amount of ad time, I find it extremely difficult to sit down and watch live TV. I no longer go out of my way to view the broadcasts of the current shows I watch. Considering the very few current shows I watch are all streaming online the next day with fewer ads, there is very little motivation to watch the actual broadcast.

In the year 2012, live TV for me primarily means channel surfing through the 19 channels I get for free over-the-air. 99% of the time I realize it's all crap then pop in a DVD, go to my PVR, or watch online. When I had cable I did the same thing and came to the same conclusion. The difference is now I'm at least $1200 richer per year and no longer contributing towards an elaborate rip-off pyramid scheme these cable companies have crafted.

I watch a lot less for sure. Basically because I would rather listen to music, and also I dont always have a lot of time to spend in front of the TV set. That said, all of the TV watching I do are my DVD's (except when I go to my mother's house). I have no cable.

About the same amount.However I also have given up on all current programming otherwise known as commercial filled junk.--If you asked me what shows are on stations like NBC,ABC,CBS etc.etc. now, I would not even be able to tell you because I never watch them anymore.Almost everything I watch nowadays are the older shows and movies.

I’ve always watched a lot of TV. I watch over 40 shows, both scripted and reality, but most are not watched in real time. Right now I’m still watching shows from the end of October. I like watching sports so if the NFL, NCAA Football, NBA, MLB and Devils hockey are on, regular TV takes a back seat. Since ME-TV is in my area, I’ve started watching Kojak, Cannon, Hawaii 5-0 and Bob Newhart but once the repeating starts, I’ll stop watching.

In 2002. I watched alot more TV. I was only 14. But, I watched alot of primetime programming that wasn't geared towards teenagers. I loved American Dreams (came out in the fall of 02), Third Watch, Frasier, NYPD Blue...alot of others as well. Including daytime soaps. There seemed like there was almost always something on.

Now in 2012. TV sucks so bad that if I lived on my own. (Which, I don't because of $$$ reasons) I wouldn't even have satellite TV like I do. The only channels I ever bother to watch are TV Land (for Three's Company only), The Hub (for Happy Days), Soapnet. Soapnet's going off-air in March. And, TC is also on Antenna TV. If I lived on my own. Do you think I would throw away $100 a month to watch one show that I've seen all the episodes anyways. Hell no. .

TV sucks. It's just going to get crappier as time goes by too. Nothing can revive it.

EDIT to also say: You could tell even in 2002 that TV was already starting to deteriorate. Good shows were starting to leave the airwaves and Reality TV started showing up on Fox and ABC. But, I think around 2004 was the breaking point.

Oh, and yeah. I have to agree with others on here. There's way too many commercials now. To the point where it causes some shows to run off the clock. That's pathetic.

Except for Alcatraz, American Dad, House reruns, Blue Bloods and sometimes Cake Boss and local news (Okay, I've also caved to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), I don't watch a whole heck of a lot of TV anymore. Once in a while I'll catch a movie on Encore or Epix Drive In but I doubt that counts.

i watch more tv cent i don't have a life i just got digtal cable i get ten nick nick toon goepls music channel. i like the hub and me tv the best. i like waching classc shows. for newer show i watch pawn stars storge wars shark tank what would you do and hawie five o . i don twatch most ofthe comdiesi watch big bang theroy it kindo f gotten dirty.i do buy lots of tv show on dvdi got one thur 10 on smallville i like x-men anmted sereis my two all time favortiet v shows are familyties and quantma leap. for teen nick i been watching keen&kal andall that and doug

I voted the same. other than wrestling my watching habits have changed some what. As i have most of the TV shows i like on DVD, by that i mean taped off tv. The ones i really like i buy the seasons on DVD. But like i said my watching has stayed the same. But i watch more stuff like biographies and stuff on history channel and such. Still watch and tape some shows that i haven't finished up getting. Also seems the more channels there are the less there is to watch. But over all i watch my DVD's more and VHS tapes of wrestling as i put them on DVD

I agree with being able to watch something when ever you want too. My wife always says " you tape ALL this stuff and you probably will never watch it" Hmm maybe not but if i ever want to i don't have to wait for it to come on TV again, i can just pull out the DVD i recorded and watch it. I do have wrestling tapes i taped back in the 80s i had never watched until recently, timer was set and taped it and never watched it. I been watching them for the 1st time as i put them on DVD

I do mostly only watch stuff after i DVR it, same as when i going to tape something from TV to DVD, i DVR it 1st. In both cases just so i can cut the commercials out as i watch and as i tape to DVD. lol 3rd post here in about as many minutes, i post after i see a post to respond to, then read more and find more to respond to. sorry

About the same. And its mostly my old favorites. There's only been two new shows that I've tried over the last couple of years, Life On Mars and The Chicago Code, and both were cancelled after only a season.

About the same for watching regular tv shows but if you add in DVD's, then I watch a little more than I did 10 years ago.

A little more since one I no longer work second shift and two there are actually shows that are worth watching like Swamp People, Sons Of Anarchy, and Justified which is a far cry from the wasteland that it was ten years ago.

I watch lots of tv i got me a dvr not too long ago best thing i ever gotten i get on demon pluse i get to fast fowrd to the commerical. i m happynow my mom and dad got me digal caable couple weks aog. ibeen wtching doug allthat, batman Doogie Howser, M.D gi joe cartoon. i likethem a lot i also been wathcing my three sons andamen.

iv never seen justifited i heard it good i couldnt get into swam peopple. if you like hitory i recommed checking out storge wars and bily the Exterminator

Much less, still watch shows on DVD, and movies. Haven't watched anything live on television in years as I watch everything through DVR, even the few new shows.

I think I watch about the same amount, timewise. Perhaps even a smidgeon more. But there's a big difference. Nowadays, 95% of what I view are 'old shows' on dvd. I've given up entirely on all current programming, other than a bit of news/weather and such. Modern television has just become too repellent and out-of-sync with my tastes. I'm sure there might still be a small handful of shows I would find enjoyable, but it gradually became no longer worth the effort to sift through the garbage to find. Sort of akin to descending into an open sewer to find a tiny nugget of gold. After so many years of this, I just felt "to hell with it all." So, I just watch my large collection of dvd's, which I derive tremendous pleasure from.
http://i40.tinypic.com/1410gtk.jpg

I would say the same thing after reading the comments. I admit, I watch more on YT as opposed to watching live TV. The same could be said for watching DVDs either from trades, or from my own collection.

Considering I have my own place and cable now, definitely more.

less

I was born to parents that were hardcore television junkies. Good people, and my father was a hard working man not one for sloth in front of the tube, but they both love television and I grew up with basically a television on all day long.


I love television now, and really have been waiting all my life for it to get at this level. When I was a child, there were the Big 3 networks (no FOX this was the 70's) and PBS. I will say that the BIG 3 did carry the load well and brought Americans a lot of fine television. Then cable came in the early 80's, but it was still BIG 3 television, with the cable channels showing old reruns, basically most of the entertainment stations were Nick at Night.


I will admit that of everything that is available on the four networks and cable, I might like 15-20% of it. I watch about 12 TV shows every week, which probably 3/4th of which are shows from one of the major four networks. I do like some of the cable shows, and now, the cable channels, even the basic cable channels are offering original content.


I dunno without research, but offhand, there are about 10 different television networks cranking out original content. Even if you think that every last television program produced in the year 2012 is garbage, one still has 60 years of television that one can access either through a network or online like YouTube. This is just America. Because of the internet and being able to buy DVDs, I have seen lots of Britcoms and like several of them that I would have never been exposed to. I was turned on to Fawlty Towers for instance about 8 years ago. Never heard of the show. Laughed my ass off at it. Networks like BBC America has stuff like Fawlty, and Absolutely Fabulous, and Father Ted and Are You Being Served on. I never watched these shows as a kid. Now the media is one's oyster and buffet.

Much less. I watch a ton more newer shows that are currently still airing new episodes but unless I'm dying to watch it then I just wait until the episode is available to watch on the channel's website. It's not that I don't want to watch it live, I just forget then when I remember it's half way into an episode and I don't want to begin watching when it's half over. I invest in the TV show DVD's anyway so the ones I own I dont bother catching in reruns anymore.

Also a lot of my older favorites aren't on the air anymore, although The Hub is starting to pick some of them up. When I was 12 (ten years ago) I'd stay up all night watching the entire Nick At Nite/TV Land line up. I also loved Nickelodeon and spent way more time in front of a TV set then I do now. I haven't turned on Nick At Nite in years because their definition of classic television is far from mine. Maybe in ten years "Friends" and "Everybody Hates Chris" could be considered classic, but not now. Those shows belong on teennick.

definitely a lot less. there is a lot less diversity of tv shows these days.

i used to remember when during the 90s i had satellite TV in the U.K and there were 3, 4 channels i'd tune into regularly: trouble, cartoon network, paramount comedy and nickelodeon.

they used to air cartoons and sitcoms, which i'd watch and loved.

now, it's all reality and drama shows; they don't put a smile on face in the way cartoons and sitcoms do for me. the 80s and 90s was when a lot of emphasis was placed on family viewing, but now it seems that main TV networks and broadcasters don't care for that any more.

they just want to put out shows just to get ratings, no matter how bad or awful they are, they don't care what viewers think whatsoever.

^ I probably should have put a separate choice in there regarding the use of DVDS, etc. I was really thinking just about normal television watching. Oh well, the responses are doing that job for me, I guess, lol.I answered already on the first page of the thread, but to answer your question of how much "straight up turn on the TV and watch it" watching I'm doing, it is a lot less than ten years ago. I watch the same/more amount of original programs as ten years ago, but in different formats (taping, DVR, online Hulu). I really don't watch reruns at all anymore except for on DVDs that I've purchased. I hope this answer clarifies what you were interested in a little bit better.

10 years ago DVDs comprised only 1% of my total Viewing Time.


Today DVDs comprise 99% of my Viewing Time.

Well I haven't watched much TV the past 10 years because TV SUCKED until some reality shows started to pop up like Storage Wars, Shipping Wars, Pawn Stars, Hardcore Pawn and Dog The Bounty Hunter all of which my DVR records for me.