Is the traditional channel fading away?

zeebre12

In 10 years time will the majority of 'channels' be VOD, not like the traditional linear model with a schedule. The way people watch TV has changed dramatically in the last even 5 years with the likes of Netflix. Now lots of your regular channels are creating their own VOD channels with their content and programming on it. Is the linear channel on the way out?, I think so. So much has changed in the past 5 years regarding the way people watch TV-when they want and how they want. Is the traditional channel fading? I.e schedule of programming

FloatingVoter

It's already gone. Just take a spin around this forum....how many threads are titled US Pace, BBC Pace, Spoilers etc etc. We're all watching the same shows at different times. Blame it on piracy, Netflix, or VOD. Apart from news and live sport - there are very few shows left that we all see at the same time. Fair City doesn't count even though I earned a fair few cheques for drinking on it in my time.
I'm unemployed at the moment so can get US TV minutes after it airs. With luck, I'll be working later this year and will avoid this forum like the plague and download seasons as a weekend treat.

squonk

I think in some cases yes. Some of us are moving in that direction faster than others though. For me, linear channel watching was a thing of the past maybe 6-7 years ago at tis stage. There are very few shows that I'll tune into traditional channels to watch.

Around the time I switched exlusively to VOD watching it was a bit more difficult at first because of my internet infrastructure. Not long after that I moved and found myself in an area with far higher internet speeds. That made VOD style watching eminently more feasible. I never looked back.

Even in 5 years time I suspect many will still use the traditional model to a reasonable extent. I think many on here are quite technically literate and know what they need to get Netflix and other sources working. There are a lot of people out there who are simply not as technically literate or just simply don't care enough about television to be bothered venturing past the safe confines of what they're used to and what the local channels provide. Ultimately as TVs evolve to have built in apps that seamlessly enable Netflix and as the idea becomes more engrained this may change but I can see it happening relatively slowly for the larger population.

I think really we have a 2-speed television landscape at present. For those of us who are passionate about TV shows and want to watch the best of what's out there, we need to become familiar with non traditional distribution channels to do that. On the slower end of the spectrum there are many who want just to come home, switch on the telly and be certain that Corrie\Fair City etc. are on at a particular time. Then, for the evenings that there is literally nothing on, a quick dabble on Netflix scratches the TV itch. Either that or the show boxsets that companies like UPC/Sky now build into their services will scratch that same itch.

don ramo

i foresee massive amounts of evenings of procrastination in our future, i do think were moving away from the linear model, but its all well and good having nexflix and other VOD services, but i wonder how many hours people here on boards have wasted trying to decide on what show to watch next, be it a series or an episode of a show,

a lot to be said of the old TV, it makes things simpler, i havent really watched one outside of live sports in years, but it has its place,

icdg

Live sports and news will keep it alive for a good long time left. The first channels to go, I think, will be the entertainment genre in basic cable. These will likely be hit very hard by Netflix and other such services, and will be reduced down to a small number specualising in "first run" UK and US content. So Sky Atlantic, Sky One and E4 might survive, but the UKTV channels may not. Also living on borrowed time are premium movie channels. That's not to say Sky Movies won't survive in the form of an on demand service, however.

I'd expect the traditional terrestrials to go on a lot longer, though increasingly reliant on "event" programming. Premium sports channels will continue as long as human beings are interested in sports.

lertsnim

Unless it is sport, some special live event or the news I usually record it for another time. The days of a tv executive telling us when we can see a certain show are long gone. I can see all shows premiering online at some stage in the next 10 years with the chance to watch it on TV at a scheduled time for those who want it.

spacetweek

Before Netflix there were unofficial websites where you could stream TV shows. I've been watching pretty much all my TV on the web for over 10 years now. My mates used to say I was crazy, I'm not crazy just an early-adopter

mailforkev

Myself and wife watch pretty much nothing at its actual broadcast time, and haven't done for years.

Sky+ records any Irish/UK shows for us. Which we can then watch at our leisure or even 10 mins after start time so we can fast forward through the ads. sky box also has box sets and catchup.

Apple TV is used for US Netflix and I've Kodi (XBMC) on it also to stream US shows the day after broadcast. Stream the F1 and rugby this way too if it's a Sky or BT match.

I can't understand who pays for movie channels in this day and age and €35 upwards a month for sports is mental too.

Get my news online 90% of the time.

Ironically my tv license reminder came in the post this morning.

spacetweek

mailforkev wrote: »

Ironically my tv license reminder came in the post this morning.

Remember that a TV license isn't a license to own and watch TV, it's a charge for keeping RTE going. Big separate debate there about the rights and wrongs of that which we'll keep out of this discussion.

readyletsgo

I think my 78 year old father would be lost without ordinary tv, and I would imagine that is the same for a lot of people say in their 50s and older.

Of course I'm in my 30s, I watch zero tv, use Netflix (odd time) youtube (some amazing talent in there if you can find it) and one or two 'other' things to watch tv shows on my smart tv. So for my age group and younger, standard tv is a dead medium, but it's not going anywhere due to news, Irish English soaps and stuff like that. Give it another say 20years then I think the standard of what tv is today will be gone forever, in a way, rte will always be around though, gotta get that tv licence money dont they.

FloatingVoter

There will always be quality public service TV for which the license money should contribute. Think PBS and Ken Burns stateside. The documentary about the House of Commons last night. Anything Attenborough does. Investigative journalism that brings down and raises up governments. These are where the money should go.
And they should be so good that you stop downloading Better Call Saul and sit up and watch.
Licence money should not fund circus acts like Decorate Your House for Free or Ryan Talks To His Mates.
TV drama is going to very charted waters (4000 years and counting)- that of the theatre. You can watch the show any night you want.

The Black Oil

I don't watch much appointment TV. I prefer to watch as per the pace of whatever is airing, often internationally, to keep up with the story. Obviously, many people tend towards bingeing on the more Netflix or boxset side, but it's not without negatives in terms of what you might get out of episodes. Waiting weekly can still be fun.

don ramo

The Black Oil wrote: »

I don't watch much appointment TV. I prefer to watch as per the pace of whatever is airing, often internationally, to keep up with the story. Obviously, many people tend towards bingeing on the more Netflix or boxset side, but it's not without negatives in terms of what you might get out of episodes. Waiting weekly can still be fun.

weekly watching is great, i couldn't imagine bingeing on Lost, Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad, the weekly watching is what really makes those shows great, coming to boards and speculating about what will happen,

bingeing has its place, just not every show works that way,

Frank O. Pinion

don ramo wrote: »

weekly watching is great, i couldn't imagine bingeing on Lost, Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad, the weekly watching is what really makes those shows great, coming to boards and speculating about what will happen,

bingeing has its place, just not every show works that way,

Pretty sure you just mentioned 3 shows that are perfect for binge watching.

Harry Palmr

People on forums like this over-estimate the pace of change as they are mainly talking to their youngish contemporaries. The OFCOM numbers show that about 85% of programmes are watched as they go out, sure people so stream netflix series or DVD them but as a percentage the actual number of minutes this accounts for of the total by all viewers is actually tiny.

don ramo

Frank O. Pinion wrote: »

Pretty sure you just mentioned 3 shows that are perfect for binge watching.

yeah they are, but i feel i enjoyed the shows way more watching it week to week, constantly discussing theories of what will happen and what not, their 3 great show irregardless of how you watch them, id binge watch them all next week if i had the time, ive already binged on lost a second time, after it finished, and would love a third go around:),

The Black Oil

Forums tend to overstate how popular something is in the wider public imagination as well, imo.