I'm not suggesting this is a big reason for concern

[Doyoumind]

But I suppose a lot is going to change in entertainment and broadcasting. We're probably going to start seeing more repeats on the main channels as live TV is cut back mainly to news programmes as people move more and more into isolation. We won't have people coming along as guests on talk shows or on the radio, surely?

Large scale productions will be delayed so we won't be getting news dramas and films at the rates we are used to.

The slots for sports will have other, probably old programmes filling the gaps.

Of course there are many other things that are going to change but the impact is probably going to be felt for a long time in what we are watching and listening to.

What I watch on TV is hardly a priority for me right now to be honest.

It's not a priority, but if you're self isolating it's a consideration and if social distancing measures are brought in and we effectively go into lock down, it will be an issue for many people. Not a huge one, but an issue nonetheless.

Lock down is looking more likely, it's been announced that mass gatherings WILL be banned despite Thursdays assurances they won't be.

I understand that Match of the Day is being replaced by Mrs Brown’s Boys.

Surely most people who watch a lot of TV have Netflix and so on to keep them occupied? People who don't watch a lot of TV won't notice.

I hadn't thought about it but I guess you're right. We mainly watch Netflix now anyway TBH.

Older people generally don't have streaming services. You know, the ones who will likely end up spending a lot of time indoors and need something to keep them - -sane-- occupied.

Strikethrough fail...

It'll be felt by the freelancers who won't be on productions though. The uk film and tv industry is a big hitter economically so this will have an impact. But nothing is as important as people's health.

Older people generally don't have streaming services

True, but older people in my experience are more likely to be delighted when they see a repeat of 'Dad's Army' is on instead of EastEnders.

It'll probably be a bit like this:

(warning: dark humour)

'I understand that Match of the Day is being replaced by Mrs Brown’s Boys.'

Dear God when will the bad news end

Disclaimer : I have no desire to minimise the extreme hardship, anxiety and illness caused by this virus.

I see production of The Ellen Show and James Corden's Late Late Show have been suspended. I assume there are others but those are the ones I noticed on Twitter. I don't watch either show but I know they are massive in American terms. There are little parts of everyday life that are stopping which seem to stun me into a deeper realisation of just what an incredible situation we are in.

We may yet be spared the tedium of the Fifa Euro Cup or whatever the bloody thing is called.

LOL
😂🤣😂

@LangClegsInSpace I came here to say this.

Hello, good evening and remain indoors! This is The Quiz Broadcast, coming to you every Friday, the same day as your food parcels! So chow down on a Protein Fudge, take whatever injections are recommended in your sector and prepare to enjoy the show!

I hadn’t thought of this point actually. As you say it’s not a big reason for concern as such, but it will be interesting to see how it affects entertainment and how long those effects last for - are we still going to be seeing the impact of this pandemic in ways like this even when the immediate threat has calmed down and other aspects of life are starting to get more back to normal?

If we (as a family) are told to isolate I will probably rejoin Netflix. There must be enough drama/films on streaming services to last for years.

I don't have a tv license or a radio actually (other than in the car obviously) and only stream netflix and amazon prime but had it pointed out to me today that as we live rurally in wifi or a power cable goes down (as they did in recent bad weather) it's unlikely to be fixed particularly quickly if there is a dearth of engineers out and about. At least it will all provide opportunity to make my way through the bookcase of books I keep buying but never actually read. Silver linings and all.

Coming back to this thread because, as I predicted, the BBC are postponing production of programmes such as Eastenders and are changing their news programming. They have also been getting set up for radio presenters to broadcast from home. I think other broadcasters will be doing the same.

Doyoumind, I was thinking the same, and am glad to see they're making changes.

What we have on TV to keep us entertained and informed is really important. Keeping morale up while stuck indoors is a going to be a really big part of surviving this crisis.

Also "people who don't watch a lot of TV" will probably start watching more TV. We're all going to be making drastic changes to our habits for probably at least a year.

The BBC have released a statement:

www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2020/bbc-keeping-nation-informed-educated-entertained