TV Ratings See Double-Digit Declines For Fifth Straight Month

heatlesssun said:
Not exactly. Faith in Jesus Christ as stated by Christianity brings eternal life. At any rate, we don't live in a world that's particularly tolerant of true faith. Sure people will support the idea of religious freedom and tolerance if it so happens to coincide with their own beliefs and agendas. But belief in Almighty God, the creator of the universe that gave his son Jesus Christ to the world to be crucified so that humans could have eternal life which can only be achieved by obedience and service to Him.

Techies are not a group that's very big on the idea.
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Because 1+1=2. We do something and we can see the results. We have proof of things. We can reproduce things to get the same results. That's why. We're a logical group.

However, I don't take the bible literally. There are some things in there that are proven events, although embellished a bit. Yes, I believe in a God. No, I don't accept that he's the one that I was taught about in church. I think that was a bit embellished, too.

As far as TV - too much shit. I think even the typically reality TV viewer is getting bored and moving on. They aren't doing anything proactive. They are using the same formulas that worked in the past. They aren't innovating. If you watch the majority of TV shows, they are based on something else, or are a near exact rip off of something else. Nothing is original anymore. Too much shit.

They need to do something that makes me want to watch TV again. Documentaries on the educational channels. Entertaining TV shows. Suspense, action, comedy. It needs to be new.
 
OEM said:
Good.

Sincerely,

DirecTV subscriber...only because there is no LEGAL way of getting NFL games.
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Haha, yea. 1st year with DirecTV in 2014...so I had NFL Ticket free. Of course I was a bit excited...then I noticed there were as much commercials for a separately paid subscription and majority of the games I wanted to watch were on prime time television. :rolleyes:
 
Domingo said:
While reality TV is like the STD of broadcasting, I'm not sure the rest of the stuff on TV is any worse now. The catch is that we now have millions of options including internet videos, Netflix, OnDemand, etc.
I don't think garbage shows like the Big Bang Theory and Two Broke Girls are any worse than Family Matters, the Golden Girls, and Growing Pains. We just have more options.
People keep saying content (movies, music, TV) is worse now. I think it all just comes down to more options.
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+1 on this. While I grew up watching shows like Living with Children, Home Improvement, X-Files, etc., looking back I can't say they were really any better than shows like Big Bang Theory and other "scripted" shows on TV nowadays.. it's just my taste has changed and I don't watch sitcoms. The time I allocate to watching TV is focused on shows with overall arcs that require watching each week (Walking Dead, Constantine, Helix, and even Once Upon a Time with the kids).

While we have cut back to basic local channels via Comcast only (it was $2 more then just Internet alone.. which we still need), I'm still finding the need to record those local channels for shows on those channels. I'm afraid of the "a la carte" option that people like to throw out there because we are already seeing where that will go ($15 for HBO, $6 for CBS, etc.). At this rate I see the providers "nickle and diming" us fore every channel to the point that we spend as much or more than cable.. and that isn't even for the premium channels. Syfy - $5, AMC - $5, TNT - $5, CBS/ABC/NBC - $6 each... etc.
 
SLee said:
Congress changed the law in 1992 to make retransmission require the consent of the broadcaster.

But in practical terms, one can say today retransmission fees for broadcast networks are basically making up for the loss of advertising revenue caused by widespread adoption of DVRs.
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I understand wanting to control your content, therefore requiring the consent of the broadcaster to retransmit the signal. I think as long as the company retransmitting it is only doing so in the area you are supposed to be serving in the first place, then there shouldn't be anything stopping them.

To your point about DVRs, this technology existed way before TiVo became a household name - VHS. I recorded plenty of shows in the 80's and 90's on VHS tapes so that I could watch them later at my leisure. Sure TiVo makes it more convenient, but the idea and result is more or less the same.
 
Cmdrmonkey said:
Actually I'd say that on premium channels like HBO, Showtime, and AMC, TV is the best it's ever been. Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and Game of Thrones are incredible shows that are on par with the best movies in terms of their writing and acting.
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I agree. The gems today, in particular the shows that are meant to be one large story, are better than anything I remember growing up.

Even the shows that are part big story part episodic than before: House, Blacklist, etc.

Sure, we have the other extreme as well. There seems to be a race to the bottom. I mean, how many shows do we need about stupid people who fail at their jobs. There has to be at least 10 shows focused exclusively on country bumpkins cutting down trees.
 
Mr. Snrub said:
I understand wanting to control your content, therefore requiring the consent of the broadcaster to retransmit the signal. I think as long as the company retransmitting it is only doing so in the area you are supposed to be serving in the first place, then there shouldn't be anything stopping them.
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That would be a good rule but I guess the broadcasters had better lobbyists than the cable providers when that law got enacted?

To your point about DVRs, this technology existed way before TiVo became a household name - VHS. I recorded plenty of shows in the 80's and 90's on VHS tapes so that I could watch them later at my leisure. Sure TiVo makes it more convenient, but the idea and result is more or less the same.
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Sure, time-shifting was available for a long time, but DVRs have made it much more easier; especially the modern ones which have 4+ tuners and enough storage to store hundreds to thousands of hours of recordings.

Looking at recent 18-49 ratings for shows on the broadcast networks, some of the shows have nearly as many delayed viewers as they do of same day viewers. Even the top-rated shows like the Big Bang Theory and Empire have 30% or more viewers that aren't watching it the same day.

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/20...-7-ratings-for-week-23-ending-march-1/375057/

So if we combine the Live+7 day viewers, shows aren't doing too bad compared to shows 10 years ago; but advertisers only pay for commercials watched within 3 days of first broadcast.
 
I cut the cord a year and half ago 60% commercials were just ridiculous and 40% price was too high for the few channels we actually watched. Netflix 4 life yo (a little gangster lingo there).
 
Dumb motherfucker? Check
Do you generally fail at everything attempt? Check
Is your skill level in your profession equal to that of an unskilled laborer? Check
Bonus Round: Do you live in Alaska? Check-fucking-plus

Congratulations sir, we at the Discovery Channel welcome you to the family
 
This headline is straight bullshit.

Ratings aren't going down 10%+ a month which is what this headline says.
 
TheCAD said:
This headline is straight bullshit.

Ratings aren't going down 10%+ a month which is what this headline says.
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Maybe not now but when people discovered netflix and all the other steaming ways it probably did a 20-30% drop all at once.
 
Ur_Mom said:
Because 1+1=2. We do something and we can see the results. We have proof of things. We can reproduce things to get the same results. That's why. We're a logical group.

However, I don't take the bible literally. There are some things in there that are proven events, although embellished a bit. Yes, I believe in a God. No, I don't accept that he's the one that I was taught about in church. I think that was a bit embellished, too.
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But you would agree that your belief in a God is not as logical as 1+1=2? You dismiss the God of the bible whose existence is based on faith. I am curious about why you believe in a God.

Back on topic, I am not convinced by many of the arguments in this thread. While they completely apply to me personally (I never had cable except for the short period when my parents visit me), they do not apply to the general populace who are the true target of the broadcast networks and cable companies. You guys should remember we are intelligent nerds that love technology. We represent a negligible percentage of the TV audience.
 
dirtydr said:
When the time came to tighten the belt a bit and eliminate unnecessary expenses recently, cable was the first bill on the chopping block. A discussion with Charter on how low I could get the bill sealed the deal.

The lowest price they would offer for barebones basic cable was $59.99 and $7 per box. $67 a month to watch a handful of commercial laden shows has crossed into unreasonable territory. Turned the boxes in the next day and will likely never be a cable tv subscriber again. Nice of them to tack on an extra $10 per month for a dry connection but that is apparently common practice. A few weeks in to being a cable cutter there is no going back.
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Hey, at least you got a better deal then I did. My cable company, CableOne, was charging me almost $80 a month for basic cable WITHOUT any kind of boxes or extra equipment. I told them to fuck right off after the 3rd price hike and the loss of all Viacom channels.

It brings glee to my heart to see TV dying a hideous death and hope that these ratings declines bring it on even faster.
 
Hi All

Slowly but surely folk are getting fed up with Cable TV. For what they offer the prices are so far over the top it should be considered criminal. As more folk cut the cord & go with streaming services, Cable will have no choice but to give folk what they want or go out of business.
 
westrock2000 said:
And even shows like Cosmos, which could have focused on education and understanding, instead took every chance it could to attack religion. As opposed to the original, which was much more understanding of other peoples beliefs (I am not religious).
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Religion has been fighting science since day one, so fair is fair. Every anti-relgious part of Cosmos I've seen is someone from a religion saying science is wrong and then being disproven, over and over. Religion will always be at odds with science, one if verifiable fact, the other fairy tales.
 
jtm55 said:
Hi All

Slowly but surely folk are getting fed up with Cable TV. For what they offer the prices are so far over the top it should be considered criminal. As more folk cut the cord & go with streaming services, Cable will have no choice but to give folk what they want or go out of business.
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I am not as optimistic as you in believing they will have to give us what we want.

They haven't been listening for years and they apparently aren't getting it with cord cutters and streaming. I think what we will see are the same people shifting to another service delivery system and doing everything in their power to milk us dry.

These people have been bleeding us for years, and suddenly they are going to listen and provide us value? Maybe at first..... But in the end it's about their pockets getting fatter.
 
In order to sit at a local bar you have to buy alcohol and food. That'll eventually cost you more money, not to mention drunk driving (buzzed driving is drunk driving.)

Also, I'm not a fan of large groups of people, especially large groups of drunk dumb asses. Fuck bars, sports bars, etc.
 
heatlesssun said:
Not exactly. Faith in Jesus Christ as stated by Christianity brings eternal life. At any rate, we don't live in a world that's particularly tolerant of true faith. Sure people will support the idea of religious freedom and tolerance if it so happens to coincide with their own beliefs and agendas. But belief in Almighty God, the creator of the universe that gave his son Jesus Christ to the world to be crucified so that humans could have eternal life which can only be achieved by obedience and service to Him.

Techies are not a group that's very big on the idea.
Click to expand...

"for the bible tells me so" right? A "book" written in pieces by many different PEOPLE, a couple thousand years ago. You see how dumb and gullible people are now, can you imagine how easy it would be to deceive the masses back then... Performing 'miracles' and giving oppressed people hope... "Yea I walked up to the hill alone, took some hallucinogens (not uncommon, even then), saw a burning bush and now have carved stones with 10 laws for mankind. And the only explanation possible is they were given to me by GOD!!!" If a 'prophet' came around in current times, people would call him crazy and no one would believe a word he said..

I'm with the others that religion is there to *quite successfully* control the masses, and drain money from people *coughcatholicchurchcough*
 
quick 44min episodes are not making enough money, drop it to 39min, and have a commercial break every 5min and a 30 second popin that takes 30% of the screen. O wait i stopped watching the "learning" package on my cable long ago.
 
fdiaz78 said:
Yep I read about this the other day. It just confirms my decision to cut the cord as I don't support this garbage.
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I agree ... as long as it includes any "underage" people kissing...

Don't want to see two kids, barely into their teens kissing.. no matter the sex. In fact.. all forms of PDA should be criminal :p
 
farscapesg1 said:
I agree ... as long as it includes any "underage" people kissing...

Don't want to see two kids, barely into their teens kissing.. no matter the sex. In fact.. all forms of PDA should be criminal :p
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I don't have anything against the LGBT community but I draw the line at exposing young minds to adult themes.
 
westrock2000 said:
Seriously, what happened to just good 'ol shows like X-Files and Home Improvement?
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Last Man Standing is a nice show, not Home Improvement, but sounds like it would be up your alley. The other issue is mainly you have more experience to draw from so everything seems repetitive. The issue with over the air broadcasts is mainly too many commercials and competition for time in general as that is the limiting factor.
 
I cut the cord completely this month. Honestly I could of years ago, but justified having it to watch a couple of specific channels..Then I just got tired of paying essentially $80/mo for two channels that I watched infrequently at best. I can sum up what is mostly on TV anyhow.

You have
Religion channels..which oddly make up a large bulk of the cable package and is shit I don't watch.
Sports channels which make of the bulk of the cost and again, is shit I don't watch.
News which is largely no longer news but hype generators as you have to go online to get anything even remotely credible. I honestly find myself appalled at how many people can watch that shit and claim it isn't biased.
Kids channels which my kids mostly use netflix anyhow so no real loss there.
The very few science/discovery type stuff that can at this point be found online.

So long cable, I doubt you will be missed.
 
Traditional TV is dead. Period. Streaming is king. TV is a quagmire of awful programming with sprinkles of decency.

Streaming is cheaper and better in every way plus it allows programs that couldn't exist simply because TV networks rely too much on "main stream" to sell ad space.

I love how computers , cameras and production equipment has gotten so cheap. Anyone who is creative and talented can make amazing programming without a single fucking dime from Hollywood.

Hollywood sees the writing on the wall even if they turn away the writing doesn't fucking disappear. I still can't believe most channels on TV broadcast in shitty 720p and at a horribly compressed stream. The quality of a 1080p stream from say Netflix is so much better than even the best TV broadcast stream I've ever seen.

You simply don't require TV for ANYTHING that the Internet can not provide. Cable is dead in 20 years , count on it.
 
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