Aside from sporting events I rarely find myself in front of a TV these days. I am sure I’m not the only one. As a child of the 90s I can remember every night from 5pm till 7pm it was almost a religious ceremony that the news would be screened on our TV set at home. First Channel 10’s 1 hour coverage — first at five was what they used to brand as. Then the Channel 9 news and at 6:30, Today Tonight or A Current Affair. Being slightly obnoxious as a child also, I can remember my father in particular getting disgruntled at missing something he was interested in, if I was making a disturbance during programming.
I can’t blame him. Where would you get the details from? Back then you might have to read a similar article in the newspaper, or wait until the next day for another report. Netflix has changed the way we enjoy our movies. Once again, with a certain amount of nostalgia, I can remember heading to Video Ezy to rent a movie. It was a regular occurance for me as a kid and something I would look forward to.
It seems like a clunky affair now in comparison. “Ah, yes I’ve been wanting to see this one. Oh no wait, the one with copy with the photocopied label isn’t behind the original, they’re out.” I approach the cashier.
“That one isn’t due back until Thursday, I can put it on hold for you if you like?”
These are the two words that have changed television forever. “On Demand”. While Netflix and Youtube have been around for a while now, I think we are only at the beginning of what I feel is — The On Demand Media Era. Shows at your fingertips, news at the swipe of a button. Programming specifically dedicated to your provider. The best part? When you choose.
This is the difference now in this era. Our habits have changed from “Oh I guess I’ll see whats on. Yeah this is ok, I’ll watch this.” We are now more selective with what we consume. It is less “coming at us”, suckling down whatever it is that is fed to us.
It’s a good thing too. We wont tolerate ordinary. We don’t tolerate one-sided views in the media. We seek out an outlet that shows a different opinion. Or one that is so satirical, that it speaks more truth than most media companies, (thank you Betoota Advocate).
Ordinary shows on TV? Yeah don’t worry theres probably a 17 year old kid pranking his dad we would probably rather watch anyway. Tired of sit-coms? I can binge watch a whole season of Shameless if I want. (Nothing Shameless about that).
The on demand era is here to stay and in one way or another it will be how we consume content for the next period of time.