Do you need your TV anymore?
It was recently announced that BBC One & BBC Two will now be simulcast online from tomorrow, the 27th November. This follows a similar move by BBC Three and BBC Four earlier this year. With ITV also offering live streaming for their 4 channels, plus an extensive catch up service offered by the 3 main terrestrial services, I’m wondering if I really need my TV anymore?
It’s also worth pointing out that (if you’re a student) you will need a TV licence in order to watch a live stream although I’m not sure how a TV licence inspector could argue that you need a licence if you have a laptop/computer in the house even though technically if you have equipment capable of recieving live TV, you need a licence. To enforce this they would need to persuade ISPs to hand over user data, however two of the UK’s biggest ISPs, BT and Tiscali have already pledged their resistance with Tiscali stating “Handing over that volume of customer information could be considered legally and morally unacceptable”. This argument is set to go and remains a grey area if ever I heard one…
I know my personal consumption of TV has changed dramitically over the last 18 months. I used to regularly tune in to watch programmes at the time of broadcast, scanning the TV listings in early evening to see if anything interesting cropped up if I was spending the night indoors.
If I happened to notice that two equally appealing programmes were on at the same time, I might have been even tempted to break out a blank VHS and set the video recorder. However, in later years when DVD (Recorder) players took over, it just seemed like a lot of hassle.
But, this is no longer the case, I can’t remember the last time I sat down at a specific time to watch something on TV. Why would I when I know I can catch it again on the iPlayer, ITV Catch-Up, 4OD or Sky Player?
I no longer succumb to the hype of a certain TV show only to be disappointed when it turns out to be lack lustre at best, I just wait and see what bobs to the top of the most popular lists. I no longer have to interrupt my life to sit down to watch a TV show as i know it’s a watch it or miss it experience, (almost) everything is now on the Internet..
I say almost everything, because I am of course forgetting to mention that not all channels broadcast on TV are online although I would argue that the ones worth watching are. Freeview has been around for a while now and I still struggle to find anything decent worth watching whenever I flick through it. Also not everyone wants to watch their favourite show on a computer/laptop although I don’t mind in the slightest.
One area i think the TV will always have the edge is the family focal point, where the whole family can gather around, when you have one eye on the TV and the other on your Dad asking about your day. Where you are having a quick meal on your lap after a long day and are happy to just stare at whatever is staring back at you for 15 minutes.. Despite the conveniene of on-demand catch up, it requires a little more effort that just an on button.
