BENGALURU: On Wednesday, the world will celebrate an invention that changed the way we view our lives. The television, once considered a luxury, now can be spotted in almost every home, broadcasting the world right into people's living rooms. But today’s television is not the same that played such an important role. On World Television Day, a United Nations declared day to celebrate the advent of the technology, City Express reached out to Bengaluru residents to understand how TV watching has evolved for them.
“Different shows had different groups of people gather in front of the small screen daily. The children would watch at one time while the adults would gather in the evening and remain glued as they absorbed news from around the country. In a way, TV brought us all together,” said Sanchita Banerjee, an advertising professional who remembers when her family got their first TV in the 90s.
For kids from later generations, the experience was a little different. “Suddenly, we had so many things to watch. From waiting for a certain time to watch TV, we got used to having programmes to watch at all times of the day. Needless to say, our parents would scold us for watching so muvh TV,” said Rahul Singh, a software professional.
However, for the latest generation, the introduction of smart-TVs or internet-connected TVs as well as high speed internet on mobile phones, tablets and laptops, has relegated the once revered television to the sidelines. With streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime and others available on any screen, watching programmes has become a very personal experience. “I don't remember the last time I watched cable TV. Advertisements make it impossible to watch an entire movie. With streaming services, I can watch my favourite programmes, without advertisements, on my laptop,” says Abhay Kaushik, a financial analyst. Some even choose to sell their TV and survive on WiFi-enabled internet connections. “With Live TV apps and other apps like Netflix, I can watch all shows on my phone itself,” said Juhi, a college student. Even the hardcore TV fans today have no choice but to accept that TVs that are not smart (internet connected with apps), are fast losing popularity.
“Dongles available today can connect your TV connected to the internet too. We have to accept that families getting together to watch a movie together is a concept that doesn't exist anymore,” said Shailaja Kumar, a banker.