Tell my why you stopped watching TV

[Mintakan]

The CEO (I think) of Lamborghini was asked why they don’t do TV ads. He said “people who buy Lamborghinis don’t watch TV”

I don’t want a Lamborghini but I have 9 unread books, a Masters to complete, exercise to be done and a jigsaw I bought 4 years ago that still has the plastic on it.

I was thinking about what the biggest waste of time is. Besides social media, which I have cut hugely, TV seems to be the next on that list.

Have you given it up? How has it improved your life?

Please ignore the horrendous typo in the title 🙃

There’s nothing on. I hate turning it on just to be reminded of this (free view) or for DH to endlessly scroll through Netflix. Would rather sit in silence!

Didn't want to pay for one, didn't want to pay the extra in electricity.
Spent a few wasted years watching anything all evening.
About 20 percent of what is on, is probably worth watching.
Don't miss it at all. Prefer the radio.

I haven't intentionally 'given it up'. But I have a full time job and a 15 month old, so find myself without the time really to devote to properly watching tv?

I have 'to watch' lists on Netflix, but it just seems like a big undertaking now to devote an hour to an episode of something. I used to watch all the time, binging box sets etc. Now unless there's something I really want to watch with DP, and we have time, I try to read instead. Less time pressure - if I only manage 10 minutes it's not been a waste!

And I feel like I do waste less time. I normally have the news on in the background in the morning if I'm buzzing about, but don't sit and 'watch' or pay too much attention unless there's a huge global event.

We got harassed about not having a TV licence about 8 years ago even though we did have one. That put us off paying for the next year and so we had to stop watching live TV and iPlayer, we just got used to not switching the TV on at all. We do have Netflix but TBH we rarely watch anything on that either. Tried watching something on All4 last year after it was recommended on here but the adverts did my head in (always the same ones) so gave up on that. We don't feel we miss out on anything.

It's really dull. Too much comes out at once, and I can't sit still to binge a giant series x5 or x7 so I just don't bother. So much stuff is remakes, rehashes, reboots and ridiculous exposition instead of storytelling. I miss the days when I had to wait a week for the next episode of Buffy or something! The excitement was there.

I intentionally gave up my television almost 20 years ago because I was conscious of wasting my evenings sitting in front of it watching things I barely had any interest in. If there's a film I want to see I can stream it on my laptop but I don't want to go back to passively watching whatever least bad option presented itself while channel hopping.

I don't have a TV in the house and I haven't had for I think around 5 years now. I've opted out of the TV license so it's nice to save that money. I also don't go to the cinema or stream films as I just rarely think they're any good when I have.

I don't miss the feeling of binge watching something and losing an evening or weekend and I don't miss worrying I'm missing out on what other people are watching. I'm so far out of the loop with films and TV that it's almost as though it no longer matters at all and there's a freedom in that for me. Being addicted to something or in a routine of doing it doesn't necessarily mean you genuinely love it or it benefits you.

It's given me more free time to read or pursue other things and on balance I feel those things are more beneficial for me than the equivalent tv time.

I am at a screen a lot during the day for other reasons so again, beneficial not to be. I do still watch YouTube videos on my laptop; travel vlogs or things that interest me rather than TV. Usually while I get ready in the AM and I'll watch something short before bed with the blue light filter on and the adblocker in situ.

I have never been much of a TV person. Even as a kid, it never really interested me, so I'm not really giving it up as would happily not have one at all! I very occasionally watch something that interests me or I have a movie night with the kids but really I could go months without ever turning it on.

I have plenty with books, radio, podcasts and browsing the internet on a tablet. I do still have a TV and occasionally I watch a programme or film I've heard about (currently Happy Valley because I watched the first one years ago), or the TV news for big events. I do still keep paying theTV licence for this.

Really I find the 'total experience' of TV and film too much. I don't want to be totally immersed in one person or team's vision/version of the story -set/sound/actors/pace etc. It's too restrictive and I can't use my own imagination to fill in the gaps as I can when simply reading or listening. I just don't want an identikit experience.

Live tv haven’t ever had since a child live at parents house tbh.

Now, we live abroad so all live tv isn’t in English. We have Netflix if I want to watch something, but with both working, a toddler, house renovation, and trying to socialise or get outside, there isn’t much free time left tbh. Usually by the time Ds is in bed it’s gone 9pm, and I would rather read before sleeping.

We still have tv for football but there's not much I want to watch and I don't really have time to read and watch long tv series so reading won! I go a lot to our local cinema which is cheap and a 5 minute walk away.

We were talking about this at work, someone was moaning about adverts and I realised I'd hardly seen any for years, partly because most of what I do watch is BBC, but mainly because I just don't watch much TV any more and tend to record anything I do want to watch (we have Sky Q). Also even if ads do come on I pick up my phone till they've finished so I don't take any notice of them.

I didn't like anything that was on and I begrudge paying money to the BBC.

TV is the family social screen in our house otherwise people would be on separate screens not interacting with all their screen time. The modern world! Doesn't replace reading, radio, games, but an hour of communal TV chill before bed, or weekend film night is fun for us.

But we can find stuff to watch. Not mindlessly but as pure entertainment.

I think the point is to do other, non screen based things.

FOMO wouldn’t bother me. There are lots of “must watch” programs that I’ve never seen.

We love going to the cinema so would keep that up. I’m thinking more of the mindless watching. Netflix is designed to get us to binge watch. I just feel like I’m wasting precious time.

This really made me think. I hardly watch any TV at all. I quite like having "the one show' on because it kind of signals kids bedtime and adult time starting! But only in the background, I don't actually sit and watch it.

I'll find a series on Netflix or whatever that I like, about 5 times a year and then I'll usually watch an ep a night.

Other than that there's nothing I enjoy, hate soaps and most British dramas. Internet has probably replaced what would have been mindless TV time..social media, news, mumsnet!

I didn't watch for years, didn't miss it
Now it's something I do with my partner, we will find something to watch together, we chat and discuss it. It's something to do together rather than sitting, watching, ignoring.
I refuse to eat in front of the TV, hate it.

We game, go out, go to friends to play board games, gigs etc.

We have quiz night on Mondays. We like Only Connect and University Challenge. aside from that it's usually some box set or other.
I do like Channel 4 news though.

I love TV but rarely get to watch anything because there's someone talking at me 24 hours a day in this house. If I'm awake, someone will be talking over the top of anything I try to watch.

I do have a TV but it's only ever dh who switches it on, I'll occasionally watch a film or series but only a handful of times a year, I find it quite boring.

I do spend a lot of time gaming though so have way too much screen time a day, after work I walk the dog, have dinner then go on my Switch until 9 then my vr headset until 11.

I've downloaded audible today so at least I can get through a few books while I'm on my Switch instead of inane music.