Funny. It seems that TV is struggling to find new ways to counter the onslaught of DVR and Tivo devices which let viewers skip over the commercials in television broadcasts.
This is of absolutely no concern for me whatsoever; I have canceled all my TV service since moving into my new apartment. It has been an enlightening and rewarding experience, and I strongly encourage anyone who is wondering why they are paying dozens of dollars every month to their cable or satellite provider to do the same.
Yesterday, Danica and I played Go for several hours before bed. Both of us have been spending more time online lately. She has been getting her news from the Web for years, whereas I rather miss watching The Daily Show for my daily dose of Bush-bashing.
There are some shows I do miss. Family Guy, for instance, and (most) the rest of the lineup on Cartoon Network‘s Adult Swim. But “going without” for the past few weeks has meant I’ve been getting more of that precious “quality time” with Danica. And no TV service doesn’t mean no TV!
The other day, I spent a good two hours playing the original Sim City on the Super Nintendo. Yesterday, Danica and I watched Pi. In general, she has been getting more out of her NetFlix subscriptions, too.
So in short, any attempt at forcing people to watch stuff they don’t want to see, like commercials, is going to backfire ridiculously harshly. I’m extremely happy without the distraction that television was, even if it does mean I have to spend more time with myself. And that’s not always easy.
Yay. I’m glad you got rid of yours, I think more people should. We never had a TV when I was growing up, and I still don’t-though I watch DVD‘s and such. (Just joined NetFlix..love it.) I would waste so much more time that I already do if i had one..meh.
Gabrielle
19 Jan 05 at 4:22 PM