May 12th

Today I had a completely fantastic day at work. My rotation was amazing, we were busy, and the day went by at lightening speed. Then I got to come home and I have a bunch of Hulu to watch, some dinner to make, and then I'm going to go to sleep. I'm all in hall having a fantastic day, which makes finding a rant for today a bit of a challenge, but you know I like challenges.

Since it's something I'm very interesting in, let's talk about TV shows. The end of season sweeps have started, the time when networks decide what shows to cancel and what shows to renew. Naturally quite a few shows that I enjoy have gotten the can, and some that I thought were totally stupid and worthless are gonna be back next year. However, it's not the loss of shows that I want to rant about. I want to talk about how those decisions are made, specifically the gathering of views and ratings.

I do not have cable, I do not have satellite, I do not have an antennae, I do not watch TV on a TV. I know that a lot of other people in my generation are in the same boat. We eat, sleep, and breathe the internet. That's where we get our news, where we talk to our friends, where we do our work, and where we watch TV. It allows us to watch shows on our schedule, which is a wonderful thing. We get to pause the show, watch earlier episodes to catch up, and for just a few dollars we can get shows as soon as a day after they air. All in all it seems like an amazing service, until you realize that you actually don't count.

Despite the prevalence of online services like Hulu and Netflix the industries and networks still use the same methods that they always have to gather ratings and decide which shows to keep and which to cancel. This basically means that when I (and thousands of others like me) watch a TV show I like, it doesn't matter at all. Even though I tune in to Hulu every single week to watch a show, I might as well not watch it at all. It drives me crazy that with technology going the way it is, they can't seem to update the way they do ratings for TV shows. Just because I have the type of life that doesn't allow me to sit in front of my actual TV at a certain time on a certain night doesn't mean I don't like a show.

I think part of the reason that they don't take this into account, is because I have the freedom to watch whenever I want. The so called "prime" spot on TV doesn't matter if I can just watch it a different day. Going up against a wildly popular show doesn't matter either, because I have to time and opportunity to watch them both online if I choose. I wonder if the networks feel cheated of the time and work they put into organizing shows and setting up schedules. Or if they feel like we are somehow cheating the system. Whatever the reason, I just don't believe it's practical for them to continue to ignore online viewership. Good shows, that people enjoy, get cancelled because they cater to a younger audience that views them almost exclusively online.

What baffles me is that online viewing creates a whole new demographic that networks can tap into. AND it allows them to run shows with smaller budgets and do things like web series. There is a lot more freedom online, and the possibilities are truly endless. If they would just tap into what some of the YouTubers are doing they'd realize that the small budgets and dedication can bring amazing results. It's not about budget it's about advertising and availability. I can watch a YouTube video as many times as I want, whenever I want, and each time the ads run and the creator gains revenue. Why don't the TV networks see the benefit of this?

I suppose that's enough waxing poetic about the downsides of living most of my existence online. Honestly though, the good overshadows the bad. And speaking of the good, it's about time for me to go and eat some delicious dinner. I'll be back tomorrow with a piece of flash fiction, or at least something that vaguely resembles flash fiction.