36 channels and nothing to watch

(Or why there is nothing on TV anymore.)

For quite a few years now, the amount of television programs we watch at home as dwindled to the point that we now only watch the evening news. And even that gets skipped now and then. It is the same with almost everyone I talk to about it. My colleagues don't watch television and neither do most of my friends.

So if you don't watch TV, then why buy a new set you ask? Good question. Our kids use it to watch movies and play GameCube, we use it to play Wii.

Currently we have 36 different channels on our cable to choose from and that is where the main problem lies. In our small country, with less than 17 million inhabitants there are about 10 different channels vying for the advertising euros. The way they do this is by targeting that audience that is most likely to spend their money on advertised goods. And the way to do this is of course by having programs that appeal to this audience. So if one channel has a hit on its hand, the others copy it and try to innovate on it to the point that all channels run the same program on the same day on the same time. And if you happen not to like that program, there is no other channel to go to, because they are broadcasting the same thing. It's all Dancing With The Stars and Ice Dancing With The Stars and I Want To Be A Celebrity Pop Star. And it's all with people famous for being famous.

So because we have more to choose from, we have less to choose. This might be the reason that YouTube is so popular. It is not that it is worth watching, but it is something completely different from what is offered on TV that makes it worth it.

Zaaf