Does anyone watch Tv anymore?
Traditional live TV viewing has declined recently, although it is still a common medium for many people.
With the proliferation of streaming services and on-demand content, viewing habits have changed, with many people choosing to have more flexible and customised viewing experiences.
However, live TV still draws a sizable audience, especially for occasions like sporting events, newscasts, and live concerts. In addition, certain groups still significantly rely on live TV for entertainment, such as senior folks who could be less likely to accept new technology.
According to a Total Audience Report, Americans aged 18 or older still prefer television as their preferred form of media, viewing an average of nearly five hours each day.
However, as this Statista graphic based on Nielsen data demonstrates, younger folks watch television substantially less than older ones do. In fact, Americans aged 18 to 34 only watch a third of what those aged 50 to 64 do.
That may be explained by the fact that people in older age groups have already begun to retire and have more free time to watch television.
However, the younger generation's preference for streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video over conventional network television is the more likely offender.
The research that is currently being extensively published and declares that "Live TV is dead" is audacious and grabs attention, but is it actually true? Yes, there is a reduction, and our viewing habits are changing, but let's avoid throwing out the baby with the bathwater in this situation.
To put the hypothesis to the test, let's look at the UK market. According to Ofcom, the total income generated by UK broadcasters in 2017 was £13.6 billion, with £7.5 billion of that amount going into content, much of it dedicated to live sports coverage.
Additionally, according to Ofcom, "Nine in ten people watched TV every week in 2017"[2]; despite a slight fall in watching rates, nine in ten is a sizable portion of the population.
By no means can we conclude that something that almost all Britons participate in is "dead."
The average lifespan in the UK is 80 years old, despite the fact that "those aged 55+ accounted for more than half of all viewing in that country." For the loyal customer base, that's another 25 years of broadcast TV viewing.
Additionally, many live TV shows continue to draw viewers who need to be a part of the debate, proving that live TV isn't dead to younger viewers too.
This year, Love Island shattered records by drawing ITV2's largest crowd ever. Twitter hashtags and internet spoilers, if anything, have compelled younger viewers to return to live TV viewing.
With more than six million tweets about the show, Love Island was the most discussed programme on Twitter in 2018.
Without live TV, younger viewers' demand to participate cannot be satisfied in the same manner.
Of course, the excitement of watching live sports is a significant contributor to live TV's endurance.
The popularity of HD sports channels is proof that phones and tablets just won't cut it for these clients since sports enthusiasts are undoubtedly unwilling to compromise on the "live" aspect of contests.
People want to be able to rejoice (or mourn) right away and know the outcome as it happens. 90% of fans are prepared to pay for sports content, according to Statistics, while Google insights discovered that 80% of sports watchers use several screens to check scores, discuss the games, or engage in other digital activities.
Therefore, it appears that live TV may not only be in existence but also be able to coexist with the streaming world.
Every year, fewer UK TV networks close their doors. This figure should rise, with more TV channels failing to make ends meet if television were genuinely dead. In actuality, the broadcast model is quite profitable, which explains why it has endured for so long.
Traditional broadcasters are still operating, despite the difficulty of generating the income necessary to fund their programmes.
It is clear that live TV viewing habits are evolving, and traditional transmission has begun to lose popularity, but it is still very much alive and well.
As our gadgets continue to gather more and more information about us, the multi-screen aspect of how we consume content will present new and fascinating problems for broadcasters in the future.
It might also lead to a significant boost in advertising income. However, as we can see from ITV's Love Island, fans are unquestionably driven to participate in the live experience and the dialogue as it is taking place because they feel the need to contribute to the discourse and are always afraid of spoilers.
We're on the verge of something fantastic and thrilling, and live TV isn't dying; it's just evolving.
Perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to dismiss the medium that led us here.
Overall, even if the way people watch television has changed, live TV still has a lot of applications.
By Blessing Anakambi
