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Broadband Usage Up, TV Usage Down

Posted by michael on from the only-25-hours-in-a-day dept.

jZnat writes "BBC Tech News reports that the increased usage of broadband internet in Europe is cutting into the viewing of television. This is mainly due to the decreased price of broadband in Europe and the usefulness of the internet. Is it possible that the usefulness of TV has decreased with the internet so expansive these days?"

10 of 299 comments (clear)

  1. well as for me by utopianfiat · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I for one use the computer much more often for my media needs than I watch television. News in less than a second is far superior to having to wade through advertisements that you can't skip.

    --
    +5, Truth
    1. Re:well as for me by Vancorps · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Its hard to compete, for now TV is on its own schedule and that will hold it back. Why should I wait to watch a TV show when I can download it from someone who recorded it several hours earlier. Movies are even worse for this since some cities see a movie as much as a few months earlier.

      The Internet allows me to have what I want and when I want it and at a very reasonable price. I don't see TV as being able to provide as much. They really are different forms of entertainment these days. TV is mind-numbing and thus good for when you just want to relax and be lazy. Problem is when you don't want to take time for that but once every six months.

    2. Re:well as for me by Caseyscrib · · Score: 5, Interesting
      Print media is much better than television, because it forces readers to think about what they just read. It empowers readers to go at their own pace... they can go back and reread something to get a clearer picture. With television, it's just jammed down your throat, and you are not given an opportunity to think about what you just absorbed. It's force-feeding you. In Jon Stewart's book, he mentions TV comming out which destroyed America. People became to concerned about appearances, and candidates no longer had to compete on ideas, just pleasing the crowd. When TV came out and chaanged the election, he sarcastically says something like, "It's thing, because everyone was becomming dangerously overimaginative listening to radio." With television, you longer need to think.

      I'm glad the media is losing its foothold. They've had their power long enough, and failed to do their job. The internet has empowered users to bypass the reporter, and get a direct source from somebody who publishes their story online. Democracy at its finest.

  2. Re:Who needs a "TV" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    > when you've got multiple monitors and a tuner card?

    I think turning your computer into a TV still counts towards television usage.

  3. Not surprising by TheSpoom · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The only things I generally watch on TV nowadays are the news and movies. There are several reasons that I believe the Internet is more entertaining:

    a) Interactivity. You can talk to and interact with people as much or as little as you like, whereas television is entirely passive. You can also easily add to the content (like I'm doing right now) and have your content added to.

    b) Control. As I mentioned before, television is entirely passive, and you're limited to viewing the broadcaster's programming on the broadcaster's schedule. On the Internet, you can view whatever you want, whenever you want, and there are a nigh-unlimited number of "channels" available to suit whatever taste you're looking for.

    c) Adaptability. The Internet is anything you want it to be. While television is just video and sound, the Internet is a book, a video, music, or anything else you can imagine.

    Not to mention that TV shows are available in the Internet to view whenever the hell you want without commercials, but that should go without saying ;^)

    --
    It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
    - E. Debs
  4. Less TV more bandwidth by canuck57 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...increased usage of broadband internet in Europe is cutting into the viewing of television...

    Can't say I am surprized. The internet has 2^32 channels, mostly garbage but you the user can decide and change channels to any other site in a second. And with so many channels there is something for everyone.

    Where as with cable you get to watch what someone else wants you to watch and when to watch it. Not only that, they make you pay for channels you never will watch.

    The internet will really pick up once Internet TV breaks through the legal barriers they now face from a monopolistic industry. Yor next TV migth be a computer.

  5. TV Torrented by pseinstein · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Combining this with that story that Bittorrent accounts for 35% of internet usage and the most active torrent pupose seems to be downloading tv episodes. Maybe people are still watching and just not on TV itself.

  6. At least for us swedes ;) by lordsilence · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What we do less since we started using internet (according to a survey, source (in swedish): http://www.idg.se/ArticlePages/200412/03/200412031 65340_PFA/20041203165340_PFA.dbp.asp ) :
    - 34 % watch less TV.
    - 32 % spends less time reading magazines.
    - 31 % doesn't talk as often in telephone
    - 23 % spends less time reading books.
    - 19 % listens less to radio.

  7. Re:End of the force-feeding, or ignorance==strengt by koreth · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Actually, I'd argue that it's both at the same time. People have more independent channels available to them now, but I think most people (me included, a lot of the time) are showing a depressing tendency to seek out information sources that reinforce their existing worldviews. If you're an environmentalist, you're probably getting a lot of your news from environmentalist blogs. If you're a libertarian, you'll feel good reading libertarian news sites. If you're very religious, there are plenty of comfortably pious news sites to choose from. Spend enough time doing that, and it feels like you're in the majority.

    I think this is partly responsible for what seems like the rapidly evaporating ability for people to respect each other's political views. Nobody has differences of opinion any more -- one person is 100% right and the other one is a moron, a dupe, a tool, a shill. That trend has been deliberately helped along by many in the media, but I think the unintentional echo-chamber effect of highly specialized news and discussion sites bears some of the blame too.

  8. Sometimes passive entertainment wanted by Alwin+Henseler · · Score: 5, Interesting
    a) Interactivity, b) Control, c) Adaptability.

    The qualities you mention could be summarized as active vs. passive entertainment. While the 'active participation' is one of *the* strengths of the 'net, it can also be a downside. It challenges people intellectually, and while I enjoy that, it can also be tiresome.

    When you have infinate choices to make, you need to think about what to choose, continuously. If there's only 20 channels to zap between, just hitting "next" on your remote requires 0 mental effort. Add the low content-vs.-crap ratio of TV, compared with interesting feed-your-brain stuff found on the net. Recently, internet connection to my home was out of order for over a week, and that made it extra noticable how hard it is to find quality content on TV these days.

    But sometimes, people just *want* to be passive, and soak in the experience without providing any input. That's why we have cinema's, and why TV still serves a purpose. Choosing between the two, I think I could easily do without TV, but would be very reluctant to give up internet access.

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