to think that watching tv is a dying activity?

[manicinsomniac]

I saw one of those things on facebook that remind you of a certain number of unforgettable facts about your childhood etc. It was listing popular tv programmes of the 90s and I was nodding my head and recalling every one. Even those I didn't watch I knew about. And I was an active kid who did a lot of extra curricular stuff after school. TV was just a part of my culture growing up.

For children (and adults) now I just don't see it. I can't remember the last time my tv was on. I have no idea what programmes are current. I don't hear children discussing tv programmes in the classroom. Children seem to be either busy or playing computer games/on their devices. I don't hear colleagues talking about what they watched last night. I'm not sure I even know many people below around 50 who watch the tv at all.

I'm wondering if television, in its traditional form, is dying out? Whenever I phone my mum (age 60) the first thing she says is 'let me turn the tv down'. It's always on. When I ask her what she's watching it's frequently nothing. She just has it on for background noise. I don't think people in the generations below ever do this.

I'm not saying I don't watch things, I do. But it's always a film, a boxset or a Netflix series during a school holiday rather than something that's on tv regularly.

What do you think? Do you have a tv? Is it ever on?

I think the OP is referring to the water cooler moments, which are really rare now. I think the first series of Broadchurch was the last biggie that really got everyone talking, so those moments do still happen just not as frequently. There's also a hell of a lot of shit on these days, which I don't remember back in the day.

I agree with skye about it being all over fb. I couldn't care less who killed Lucy Beale, but the whole of fb seems to.

Ours doesn't go on until after DD is in bed and we've had dinner, so around 8.30pm, and only then if there's something we particularly want to watch. DH occasionally watches Saturday kitchen but that's it!

My goodness. Did anyone watch the final episode of Wolf Hall? That was worth the licence fee on its own!

We don't have a TV in our house so our habits have definitely changed! We use catch-up services and I'd say our consumption must have dropped by about 90%. Big change from my childhood where the telly was on literally all the time. Our kids watch hardly anything and don't seem to notice a difference with their peers but the eldest is only 6. I think the lack of video games definitely shows though, compared to other kids.

Most people I know watch a series at a time on box sets or what have you but there is still definitely an audience for all those bloody awful talent/reality shows

Ooh misschat where did you watch Preston Front? I'd love to see that again.

I personally think tv watching is dying amongst the younger generation. My dd1is 12 and never ever watches the telly. She watches youtube and twitch or watches films and most of her mates do too. She's mad on minecraft and anime and reads a fair bit.

Ds will watch iplayer occasionally on his xbox but he's a you tuber too. He rarely watches the telly these days.

TV is often on here. We only have the one - in the living room, but it is on pretty much every evening. DH will turn it on when he gets home from work around 7pm, if 12y DD hasn't already done so after doing homework, etc. Ot stays on til bedtime with either me, DH or both of us watching it. DH will often watch TV (live, iPlayer, Netflix or whatever) on his iPad too if I am watching something. DD often watches on her iPad too if we are watching something she doesn't want to watch.

I watch tV the least out of us all, DH the most.

I think this is why so many programmes are incorporating twitter hash tags now, to encourage us to watch things live, to get that shared experience back. What's great about catch up TV is when people at work say how great something is I can go back and watch it.

Looking at myself and friends in my age group (mid 20s) I think that not only is TV watching in the way you describe dying out, so is TV owning. DH and I don't own a TV - we just watch series we like on Netflix on my laptop. Some of our friends have 'entertainment systems' in the sense of a screen or even a projector but they always attach them to computers for watching stuff online.

I haven't noticed any difference and they are all discussed on twitter as people watch.

Hobbes I watched Preston Front on dvd. You can get all three series from amazon

I stopped watching TV when I left home 20 years ago. Preferred reading magazines or listening to music. I listen to my radio now.
There's something about the sound of TV that bugs me, not so much the programmes. Although I do find the ads moronic.
When I lived with flatmates, they always turned it on first thing, as background noise & vegged in the evening, flicking channels.
Didn't have one when I lived alone. Have one now that I'm shacked up, it's his. He watches the footie & we might watch a show on Netflix at the weekend.
Haven't watched soaps since Beth Jordache kissed a girl. But I did love Friends & SATC back in the day.

My eldest (16) doesn't watch TV, nor does my youngest son (11)
My daughter is 6 and enjoys tiny pop.

My mother (a massive TV snob in the 70s /80s) has developed a huge delight in watching 'take me out' she is 73.

I think watching TV at set times (eg everyone watching a particular programme at a particular time) is getting less common. There is also a lot more competition from other forms of entertainment. However I don't think TV is dying out. It still seems popular amongst the people I know. I have a huge backlog of programmes recorded that I want to watch but DH doesn't; hopefully I'll get to watch them before our PVR has yet another malfunction. We watch a few programmes together but almost never as they go out and sometimes watch box sets. We always record anything with adverts so we can skip them. I only put the TV on to watch something specific whereas DH's BIL often sits in front of it for ages watching any old thing with the volume quite low and channel hopping (they have about five TVs in their house!).

It might also depend on life stage - I watched little TV as a student (admittedly well before iplayer existed) and not that much in my early to mid-20s when I was sometimes more likely to be out in the evening and couldn't record things.

I'd disagree, we watch a lot of series - no movies- and often hear discussions (and have them) on certain shows: Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad, Orange is the New Black , Hannibal and Walking Dead immediately spring to mind.

I'm watching a lot more at the moment because I've got bad morning sickness but I'm late thirties and most people I know watch TV shows especially on SKy and Netflixs. Game of thrones especially always gets peopel commenting on facebook- especially after the Red Wedding.

OP it sounds like you've never Ben much of a TV watcher and you still aren't.

If anything Id say the way people 'consume' TV shows has changed, I hardly watch anything as its broadcast any more. Interestingly EE live week got viewing figured of 13m. 30 years ago it was regularly pulling in 18m.

I wish the TV was on less on my house!

I've just cancelled my tv licence because I haven't watched 'normal' tv for over a year. Netflix and stuff on catch up only.

I agree OP.

We cancelled our cable TV package about 3 years ago and don't miss it. Apparently you can still put up an aerial and get some TV channels but I couldn't be arsed.

We watch Netflix, Amazon or iPlayer. We have an Amazon Firestick and an Apple TV and various ipads and PCs.

Cancelling cable has saved me nearly $3000!

I think you're right. We don't watch normal telly, only Netflix, and that's rare. DD is more of a gamer and her friends are obsessed with Minecraft and gaming mostly.