Do you have a TV package or just use streaming services for shows?

[Lone Wolf Leonhart]

I was having a conversation with someone the other day about how TV is outdated by streaming services the way that radio was devoured by podcasts.

And rightfully so.

The ease of access to exactly what you want to watch and listen to is right at your fingertips, and big companies over time have caught on to that fact with services like HBO Now or CBS All Access, on top of the stand alone services like Netflix and Hulu.

There's just no need anymore to buy a few hundred channels as a package, especially when you flip between like 8 of them. I can safely say I'll never get a TV package, I just sub to the Netflix, Funimation, Crunchyroll, Hulus of the world and call it good. And that's a trend that is heading more in my direction over time and I think will certainly become predominant in this generation.

Do you use services like DirectTV, Dish, whatever a tv provider was for your parents? Or have you made the leap into full on streaming?

[Wolf Kanno]

I still use cable, but part of that is that I tend to get "paralyzed by too many choices" so having access to everything usually means I never watch anything if I find myself in a situation where I'm bored and not particularly in the mood for anything. So cable still kind of works for me in that regard, but I do feel streaming services are a better option. My other issue is that high speed internet does not take kindly to where I live for some reason, hell I lose phone service up here pretty easily as well, so streaming channels have a hard time working for me when I did partake.

I don't really like spending time watching TV too often outside of educational stuff, and I enjoy watching a film every now and again, but I much prefer to see film at the actual cinema over at home where I have too many distractions. I never really got into "binge watching" stuff. I just find it a waste of time.

[SeasideArms]

I only ever use streaming services anymore. The only reason I own a TV anymore is as a monitor when I wanna watch streams on the couch (PC->HDMI cable->TV) or to play console games.

I think another thing that has to be mentioned are different forms of entertainment. A lot of people have not only turned away from TV, but also from movies and shows in general. Twitch streams, Let's Plays, Vloggers and all sorts of other content creators are gaining huge viewerships and because of the nature of their content, they can create content far quicker than TV series or movie producers. Professional streamers for example often stream for more than 6 hours per day. For somebody who works a full-time job, a single streamer could fill up their entire free time during the week, if that's what they wanted.

Edit:

I still use cable, but part of that is that I tend to get "paralyzed by too many choices" so having access to everything usually means I never watch anything if I find myself in a situation where I'm bored and not particularly in the mood for anything. So cable still kind of works for me in that regard

That's something I noticed too! That's one of the few advantages of TV, I feel. I guess it makes you worry less about whether there may be something more entertaining out there and instead sit back and enjoy what you can get.

[Lone Wolf Leonhart]

Also, i'm pretty good at budgeting when it comes to streaming and getting the most out of my subscriptions.

Like typically I'll only have HBO for 2 to 3 months of the year when a show I like is on (ie: Game of Thrones) and then within that 2 month window I watch any of the other stuff I was interested in but may have missed out on throughout the year, as opposed to around the clock 12 month at a time subscriptions.

[Spuuky]

I have never had TV service as an adult, and I never will. But I also don't watch "shows" which makes it pretty easy.

[Freya]

Nah, I havent for years.

Hulu, netflix, prime, funimation, and HBO now occasionally.

I loathe commercials and I like to watch at a pace I want to. Sometimes I like to be able to watch 3 episodes a night or maybe I feel like an episode once every 3 days or once every 2 weeks. I like that I can pick whenever and not be left behind because I didnt watch it at a certain time.

I also like how most people will respect the varying watch times for new stuff. I see less spoilers for say a new season of stranger things than I would for game of thrones. Everyone had to tune in at the same time for got so it would get talked about right away and if you were late, you were smurfed. But for things on a streaming service, no one knows how far each other are so they may excitedly talk vaguely about the show but they dont spoil as much.

And I hate getting spoiled so I like that

[escobert]

We have satellite right now but we're thinking of just streaming when we move.

[Christmas]

Pornhub or something I think.