PUBLIC OPINION > Internet Killed the TV Star
SodaHead TV
2011/12/06 17:00:00
The number of U.S. homes with televisions has been rising steadily for the last 40 years, since the early days of "The Andy Griffith Show," "The Twilight Zone," and "The Johnny Carson Show" -- the golden age of television. But this year was different. According to Nielsen Media Research that number is dropping, and it's expected to fall one percent next year, from 115.9 to 114.7. And that's after taking into account the growing number of U.S. households.
Now, as much as we'd like to blame The Situation and leave it at that, the reality is not so simple. There are a number of factors to take into account, so we narrowed them down to three choices: the economy, bad programming, and new media. We asked SodaHeads which of those reasons think think is contributing the most to television's decline.
Now, as much as we'd like to blame The Situation and leave it at that, the reality is not so simple. There are a number of factors to take into account, so we narrowed them down to three choices: the economy, bad programming, and new media. We asked SodaHeads which of those reasons think think is contributing the most to television's decline.
Number of Homes With TVs Drops for First Time in 40 Years: Why?
56% Blame New Technology
Believe it or not, Snooki doesn't seem to be the problem here. More than half of respondents said the drop in television households is probably due to newer technologies, like computers and smartphones. Why buy a TV when you can just download the latest episode of "South Park" to your pocket? At worst, you'll have to resort to paying for Netflix on your PC. The only thing you'd really need a television for is big screen display and video game consoles. But even then, it can be replaced with a flatscreen monitor.
Old-Timers Are Tired of Trash
The only age group that didn't decide on technology was the over 55 crowd. Nearly half of them (48%) picked "Too much trash on TV." No wonder there are so many networks and time blocks dedicated to retro programming. Too bad you've gotta dig through the trash to get to it.
Military Looks to the Money
The economy wasn't a very popular vote, receiving just 14% of the overall -- surprising, since Nielsen actually hinted that it was factor -- but two careers stood out: small business owners and the military. Half of each group thought the economy was a bigger issue than technology or bad programming.
Gays Think It's the Garbage
Like the old-timers, gay and lesbian voters were leaning toward the trash TV theory. 46% of them blamed bad programing, compared to 38% who agreed new technology was the cause. Bisexual voters were also more likely than straight voters to pick bad programming (38%) and the economy (21%).
If you'd like to vote on this question, dig deeper into the demographics, or engage in existing discussion about the topic, visit our original poll about the decline of television. We'd love to hear from you!
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And I've always thought that TV providers should switch to an "ala carte" format. Let the subscribers choose their channels at something like $1.99 per channel or whatever. People wouldn't have to pay for channels they didn't want, but of course then the cable companies wouldn't get the same money from all the other folks in the bundle. Loads of folks have been making the migration from TV to the internetz, anyone can simply watch their favorite shows on Netflix or Hulu, or download whole seasons of shows via Torrent. The TV paradigm is going to go the way of the music industry paradigm. So -why not- have a program people can download that would basically make their PC act like a TV hooked to cable or Dish? Sounds like a great idea to me, maybe not to the owners of the channels that would be the least popular, but pretty awesome for the person choosing.
(My dream line up would consist of Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, Toon Disney, History Channel and Sci-Fi Channel - all I'd ever want or need right there. No ESPN, no CNN, no MSNBC, no Fox News, no Church Channel or TBN or CMT or other "filler").
TV stars need to embrace the internet, actors like Patrick Gilmore, who starred in Stargate Universe, has made some great video interviews with his fellow cast members from that show, which the fans enjoy watching and it also gets him more exposure as an actor. A simple idea, but very effective. :o)
Um I don't watch Reality. I like scripted comedy. Kthx.
if I'm not watching the tube it's because I got better things to do. And Jersey Shore is on. Or worse Kim Karadashin. Kill me.