Could you live long term without TV or netflix etc?

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I lived 12 weeks without a TV because my old one went up in smoke - (no great damage done). I then waited to get a new one as I wanted to see how long I could last and also for financial reasons. I now have a new TV but find I'm not watching a lot at all. I only have freeview, no sky or anything else. Has anyone lived long term in UK without a TV and if so, what made you eventually get a set, if you did.

I don't have live TV haven't for years, but I have a TV set to watch just online stuff like Netflix, couldnt live without the online bits, love having it on in the background and watching movies on a nighttime.

My DC would probably be climbing the walls and would therefore be driving me crazy so for that reason alone I would say it would be a bad move.

I would love not having a TV - I already read and crochet while listening to podcasts or audiobooks.

We did for nearly 2 years - but we were brought up in a culture with no TVs, so it wasn't a huge loss. DH missed having mates around to watch sport though.
Now so long as you have internet you also have iPlayer etc which makes it pretty easy even for tv lovers.
My issue was that without TV I spent more on books than I saved on Netflix!

We don't have a tv tuned in, but I do watch catch up. I think it's the best of both worlds as I am much less likely to watch crap.

I'm not sure I could do without it at all, I do like to unwind in front in the telly. But I'm just as happy with a podcast.

Podcasting does seem to be getting better and better. I think I'd struggle much more to give up the radio and podcasts.

Yes, but I wouldn't wish to.

Not had a TV for about 2 years. I had the opportunity to see some recently but only watched as I had nothing else to do. Most of what was on was repeats from many years ago!
There really is very little worth having a TV for.

Stuckforthefourthtime - Yes book expenditure can be an issue. Luckily I live within a mile of a city centre public library so I am able to reserve books online. That helps keep costs down a bit.

Haven't watched TV other than when staying with my parents for over 10 years now. Never watched netflix or any of the catch up on the internet either.

Having been forcefed the endless competitive cooking and antique hunting programmes a few weeks ago when staying with my mother whilst she recovered from surgery I don't see this changing anytime soon!

I didn't have one for many years, I still don't, only Netflix. But I've only had Netflix since last year. And I mostly use that either to practice my language is, or when I'm on a very long flight.

I haven't had a tv for years. If I see anything I fancy on iplayer I watch on my laptop. Never watch films.

I very rarely watch tv, although I have been watching a bit of Grand Designs lately but not the whole thing. Otherwise maybe once every month?

I don't enjoy it that much and don't find the time.
DH watches it all evening though and the children watch it for half an hour a day so I would miss letting them watch it as it useful for bribery!

I like tv, especially well made dramas and comedy but love books far more, reading is like breathing to me.
Where we live the quality of the local television is shockingly bad, so when dh downloaded an app called Filmon it was brilliant, because we could watch British tv again, and I didn’t realise how much I had missed it.

One thing I've noticed at work is that these days because so many people watch programmes on catch up later, that you don't get the whole review/analysis conversations because you inevitably get someone pipe up "oh I haven't seen it yet, don't spoil it for me". I still remember the office conversation the day after the first episode of the first Prime Suspect episode. Not much work got done for over an hour or two...….

When I first got my new house I was without a tv for nearly 5 years.

I did get the piss taken out of me a bit! Now I have Netflix, Now tv and Amazon prime... I could go without most tech though. It wouldn't bother me too much.

But please, for the love of God, leave me Mumsnet!!

Watch very few things on TV. But really like those few things. I'm a film addict, so losing the actual TV would be bad news for me.

I tried once, lasted about two weeks and broke when all the kids got a cold, were sofa bound and bored.

I think I would give up any other object from house before I released the TV from my Kung Fu grip.

Not had a tv for years, watch all I want on my laptop/tablet. Buy a radio/tv licence tho so I can watch (legally) live programmes. Love all the access to archived stuff, that's bloody brilliant! Would be bereft without R3/4.
At our other home in the US we can rent a tv monthly, dont know if you can do this here? I'd pay good money to have full coverage of major golf tornaments for their duration. Love golf,me
Now that I live alone this current situation suits me just fine

Personally I’d be fine with books and Mumsnet, but as others have said my DC would miss it a lot.

I don't think I'd last a day before being really bored.

My daughter, unasked, bought me a tv. I have the set on nearly all day but tuned to LBC or BBC radio. Watch 6pm news and maybe watch tv for an hour or so in evening. Wouldn't really miss it but couldn't bear to be without radio.

We went for 3 weeks in Tenerife without a tv and were home two days before we realised we hadn’t switched the darn thing on.
I’ve never been a radio person perhaps I should start exploring
Tv is shit

I have done but I felt very cut off in many ways.

I also found I was spending more and more time online.

I have lived quite a while without a working tv (I have one now). I know it is not the end of the world (I do not have functioning internet either), but I did miss certain programs.

I could live without TV, I hardly watch it. I couldn't live without Netflix.

Yes. There’s something wrong with you if you can’t live without one. We haven’t had a tv over a year. We can stream online if we really want to but I just find it a waste of time. I mostly only watch tv when I am sick of feeling very sorry for myself which is not often.