Is television dead?

Question

I say yes. And the world says yes.

I'm posting what was a response to a question someone asked about TV sitcoms, but for some reason I'm blocked by that person, who i don't even know.

Sitcoms are very expensive at around $3 million per half hour, and the writing and acting is crap. They can't make a profit on that.

The last shining sitcom that made any money was Modern Family, and that ran around $5 million per half hour, but it's been gone for 6 years now and it's making way more money in streaming than it ever did while it was on television. The little kid on that show is making more money from it now than its highest paid star Ed O'Neill did while it was on the air.

The only profitable event on television for advertisers and programmers now is the Super Bowl. All other programming throughout the year loses money. All sports (except the Super Bowl), all entertainment, all awards shows, all reality shows (which cost almost nothing to make), all news programming, all of these lose money, and lose market share for their sponsors. Even The Simpsons only makes money in streaming.

The only moneymaker left, throughout the world, is in your pocket, your phone, and the socials that are on it. Granny next door has just as good a shot at getting rich from her phone as does Goodyear Tires or Target or Pizza Hut. Granny probably won't (one did, she made a billion dollars from her living room), but those corporate giants aren't either, because they still haven't grasped the reality of this sea change, and they don't know how to do it. right now they think it's all about AI, and to a good extent it is, but they don't know what to do with that, either. but sometime in the next 10 years they will.

abc3643 · Accepted Answer

To a certain extent, yes. Its death began shortly before you were born when the networks began programming "reality TV" with "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" in 1999 which was a good show. The reason why the networks did it was cost: With scripted TV, you have to pay actors and writers and worry about producers and licensing rights and so forth. But, with "reality TV", that "actors" are just people. You don't need writers and you don't need actors. Actors or writers strike? Who cares! And, the TV execs also realized that you could have shows write themselves by setting up a basic premise, serialize it, and, if necessary, edit it so it tells a more dramatic story. A classic example of this was the first "Joe Millionaire" in which a good-looking guy who was a "millionaire" and was trying to get into a relationship. So, lots of women, mostly gold diggers vied for his affections. One girl seemed to be singled out as the audience favorite because she didn't seem like the others. This show was on Fox and the editors rearranged the footage so the audience would feel more connected to her. It was all bullshit although as Joe, the millionaire, wasn't rich at all... and he did pick that one girl.

Anyway, it was all bullshit... all of it. Audience manipulation and it brought out the worst in the audience as well. The networks created shows like "Survivor" which is still on and "Jersey Shore" and "Big Brother". In short, these shows were, collectively, "People Being Assholes To One Another" and the dark part in all of us were rubbernecking these trainwrecks. People at home had a certain schadenfreude at watching other people suffer or watching people be assholes.

I got turned off by it all. I have to deal with enough assholes in my real life so why the fuck would I want to spend any of my free time watching more assholes?

Also, though, the networks stopped giving shows time to develop and find an audience. With quick cancellations, the investment audiences made in a show was thrown away. Do that enough times and it's like "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" Aesop Fable - people stop investing in TV altogether. I didn't care for reality TV (which was anything but reality), but scripted TV was becoming shit on broadcast TV or, worse, I'd have to pay for a half-dozen streaming subscriptions to see what I want... and then it would be cancelled anyway, so why bother.

So, now, personally, no, I do not watch TV at all anymore. Nothing except possibly sports or news programs if warranted (like a tornado watch). I have streaming services for my wife, but the only one I care about is ESPN+ so I can watch the one sports league that I closely follow: the National Lacrosse League.

But, I do have YouTube Premium and SiriusXM Premium and 3 newspaper subscriptions, so my free time is spent doing other things than watching TV. I am not alone in this.

Frankly, the networks committed a slow suicide beginning in 1999 and a whole generation has gone by with adults now not even knowing how to set up an antenna for broadcast TV.

PS: Movies are not far behind TV...

The Affordability Crisis will gradually eradicate subscription luxuries like streaming services. And with a generation who doesn't understand broadcast TV (which is free), they won't go back to it.

Friendlybro79 · Accepted Answer

You're 100% spot on with this. To add, these old TV executives have lost to streaming platforms hands down. People don't consume content anymore in the traditional sense of network tv anymore. I think I cut the cord in 2013.

Regarding AI, it's so impressive what I can do, but I think corporations are trying to hard to use it to replace people, which it can, but not everyone yet. Lol. I wonder how many executives are saying can we fire our writers and have AI do it for us for free? Lol.

Hell some of these shows are so bad I wouldn't put it past a few networks to have tried it to see if it could work. (I almost don't want to Google this because I'll die laughing if they have)

Regarding your comment that no good sitcoms have come out in a while. I finally started watching Schitts Creek lol. I think it's hilarious.

Anastasia4real · Accepted Answer

It's almost dead, every family member have own apps plans at mobile according to their choice but it's my personal view television is much better then the addiction of mobile, late night mobile vison in dark room very dangerous for eyes health, disturb the sleep routine, disturbing mind..

Paige90 · Accepted Answer

I think networks (ABC, NBC and CBS) are but movie channels and apps are the future.

NathanDavis · Answer

to me... it's been dead for a bit while

and it died from MAC...

it's been years since I've had cable or an antenna on my TV... even the streaming services have been off for a long long while

the only one thing that makes me go back to cable is happening every four years, and that was the soccer World Cup but that's more of a long life passion and tradition in our family

and I'll pay whatever it takes so they don't show me ANY commercials or gambling advertising, at all... lmao

DonaldDarko · Answer

It could be. The quality is pretty low. I was watching a show and I got a few episodes in. Next thing I knew one of the back ground characters a man just blurted out "my boyfriend thinks" I don't remember what it was he thought but I was WTF did he just say? I didn't hear wrong it was plain as day. So I thought I'm not watching this shit where I need a puke bucket just to get through it. I turned it off and didn't watch another second of it. I saw stuff like that on maybe 3 or more other shows I was trying to watch, usually it would hit in the second season. I guess they thought you would be invested in the show by then and just keep watching. I'd turn it off and quit watching. Who the hell is going to watch filth like that?

Iyaelsorai · Answer

I'm skeptical of your claim that virtually every venue on TV is losing money. Businessmen would easily notice if that's the case, and they're not much into continuing to throw money away.

I'm curious about what grandma made a billion dollars from her living room? How did she do that?

I watch TV often, not broadcast television but DirecTV. There's a plethora of shows on DirecTV that I like, and new ones are sprouting up all the time. Some of the ones I watch are comedies - Futurama, Family Guy, South Park

ohsheeT · Answer

As far as I am concerned yes it is nothing good is coming from it except for maybe the charlie brown specials  There's no more real news anchors that strive to be number one. It's all scripted nowadays. It seems like Really I dont know i haven't watched TV for so long. I don't know what's on there.  For me, it's just a way to spread propaganda.
And brainwash people Do They even have movies on there anymore

Chazmatazz269 · Answer

Broadcast television is all but dead. Every network has its own streaming service now. So network television is alive and well. Since media is well recognized as the right hand of government, that makes it part of the most powerful system on the planet. The major multinational corporations took over the media and now it’s not going anywhere, ever.

Bricealan · Answer

@rachel776 About the only thing I use my TV's for are Netflix, Prime, or something on YouTube... Those three aps

LiamS95 · Answer

I don't know for sure but I haven't watched tv for years. You can watch just about anything you want on the internet.

DryGermanGuy · Answer

Not necessarily, but in my country we have excellent publicly-funded TV, which you can watch as livestream or selected programs. I watch all tv news and reporting there.

Jersey2 · Answer

More than anything, wokeism, killed them. The same will eventually happen to Netflix. Disney was almost bought out and chopped into pieces and sold off because of putting wokeism over shareholder profits.

Anonymous · Answer

What about shows like curb , Larry Seinfeld

I mean surely good quality shows will be watched?

Are you commenting on where they originate? Like Netflix, Disney, Amazon prime? Or they are dead too?
Are you saying movies continue while sitcoms are dead?

Does it matter which device we watch them on?

Levin · Answer

Oldies still like it. Americans made 'Friends'. I can't forgive them for that.

DarKnight36 · Answer

In the past, films and TV series were always about friendship and camaraderie, but now everything is based on harming one another.

AgentG111 · Answer

There are so many apps now it's almost funny when the major networks actually have a show worth watching.

MidnightRivers · Answer

Yeah, it's dying in my opinion, no real good movies these days or tv shows

Iron_Man · Answer

They have General Hospital That’s been going on for what like 65 to 70 years

LC75LC71 · Answer

Outside of running HDMI to the back of one, or having to watch a NFL game for free.. Rotting.

Enginn · Answer

No its not. I think every house needs one. I like to watch my favorite channels once in a while and its really fun.

dean55au · Answer

Yeah mostly repeats and too many crappy reality shows these days too

beefcakebradybatson · Answer

It wouldn't be it it aired more handsome black cowboys !!!

Kingofkings1992 · Answer

Not at all. TV will never die. If anything, it's actually more booming now than it has ever been

qwerty2469 · Answer

I haven't owned a television since 1999. 27 years of not watching Jewish propaganda. Yeah it's dead.

MrChinaski · Answer

Dead, buried and cremated.

austinbooth · Answer

Not a chance. that's the media

WilliamStormsReturn · Answer

yes it is baby

liorax · Answer

Absolutely yes, I never watch TV.

zombiewoof · Answer

Reality shows have not helped

CubaPirate · Answer

Yes its been streamed to death

Anonymous · Answer

No, it's not, I still watch it.

drummerdude25 · Answer

Has been…

Sammy098 · Answer

Kinda yes

InspectherGadget · Answer

If not it should be

Is television dead?

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