I was sitting around a table over the weekend, playing Cards Against Humanity in a quiet pub, with a few people from Beta Bar. Everyone started talking about the TV shows they were watching at the time, and I couldn’t help but notice no one mentioned anything that was actually on TV. I can’t even remember the last time I tuned in. Can you?
I put the question to the group in the pub, and only one person actually watched TV — and that was more of a nightly family tradition. Everyone was EZTV, Netflix, or just no time for TV at all due to gaming, reading, or work.
I know if I asked the same question to my family in western Sydney, the answer would be different. There’d probably be a “What’s a Netflix?” in there somewhere.
But a growing number of people in my circles, even the ones with only one foot in the tech world, are increasingly turning away from the idiot box. There’s nothing that really appeals to me on the ABC at the moment, and as for the other channels… I actually feel dumber when I watch them. When I hear about a show that’s actually good on free-to-air, I’m genuinely surprised.
For some of the people in the group at the pub, it had been literally months since they flipped on the TV. Not even having the capability to watch it in their home was common. How about you? When was the last time you switched on? Is there anything good on that we might not know about?
[Bored TV Watcher] via Shutterstock
Comments
97 responses to “Off Topic: When Was The Last Time You Watched Free-To-Air TV?”
Free to air TV? i think i hear my parents watching it sometimes. I’m not really a fan of sitting in front of a Glowing box that only plays advertisements on repeat.
Last thing I watched on TV was the F1 from Abu Dhabi.
Only ever watch it for sport, ABC News 24, or if Mad As Hell is on.
Otherwise, not all that much.
Mad As Hell, one of the only reasons to watch free-to-air I think
Yep Mad as Hell is brilliant television.
Anything with Shaun Micaleff is worth making the time of day for 😀
Same here.
Though must admit I’ve been indulging I guess.
I also watched a recorded “Upper Middle Bogan”
The ABC iView resolution is just too shoddy and slow
I’m not even sure if my house has a working antenna. Does that answer your question? 🙂
With you there.
News stuff is pretty much the only thing I watch as it airs, having it on while eating dinner. Otherwise most things would get recorded and watched later.
But even that habit’s fallen by the wayside, and now I pretty much don’t watch anything. It all became too much effort. Still got most of this latest season of Dr Who sitting there waiting to be watched at some point. I waste too much time just sitting here reading the internet instead.
The only time I watch Free-To-Air TV is State of Origin each year. I prefer to buy seasons of shows I’m interested in on Google Play, iTunes or wait for it to come to Netflix.
I watch free to air TV all the time.
There’s no particular show that I tune in for every day/week, but I pretty regularly watch Spicks and Specks. Otherwise I’ll usually just flick channels and end up watching reruns of The Simpsons or something like that.
Sometimes there are good movies on too. I watched Shooter the other day.
I watched that when it was on as well. Had never seen it before and was a good movie
Maybe 10 years?
But then again, I rarely watch shows period. I get more enjoyment out of Internet crap now-a-days.
The only thing we watch on FTA TV is ABC 4 KIDS, which is just background noise for the little-uns. FTA is nothing but ads with a few shows shoved in between.
Same as this. I it wasn’t for our son, we wouldn’t even have the antenna plugged in.
It’s sometimes on ABC in the evenings to watch the news or QI or something but that’s about it.
I’ll be watching Good Game tonight.
Yeah that’s my only weekly live to air watch as well. Everything else is download or wait for DVD release.
Good Game is awesome! They still need DARREN in the adult version of the show though.
Good game was never the same after junglist left… The guy who wrote this article
I hate Good Game now for that exact reason.
Yeah I stopped watching after they booted him for tits also.
Only FTA TV I regularly watch. Granted, the hosts can get on your nerves sometimes, but it is locally produced gaming content, and its the closest I get to seeing a video review featuring gameplay where I’m situated
This might be a noob question but is there anywhere that sells previous episodes of GG? I love it, but often miss it unless I decide to stream it after the fact.
I’d love to get the whole set hard copy but ABC shops never seem to sell it. Probably think it’s not relevant after the fact as it’s primarily a review show.
Mm, as far as I know, they don’t have it on DVD or anything. iView or their youtube channel is probably the best for watching old episodes.
they are all available as a podcast link is here… http://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/video/
Thanks peeps! <3
MAAAAATEE! always! Channel Mate is what I only watch. Everyone in my house has free-to-air. If we want to watch a T.V. show we just download it, but other than that the t.v only goes on during the night to watch either channel mate(that’s in my room) and whatever the parents watch in the lounge room.
Good Game on Abc is great! I’ll tune in every Tues…
*sideways glance at Junglist*
Uh, no, no free to air TV…
…
I’ll see myself out.
Apart from Doctor Who (and that was mostly on iView catch up), probably Eurovision.
I watch free to air TV all the time because there aren’t really any shows I’m desperate enough to watch that I’d pay for them or pirate them.
Same here. We watch a few ABC shows but very little on commercial networks.
I’m in a similar boat but it resulted in me not watching TV at all. Fifteen years ago the TV would be on whenever I was home, either games or shows, now it’s only on when I play games. At some point the bulk of the filler content got to the point where I’d rather turn the TV off than have it as background noise.
I can’t remember the last time I watched free to air TV. I think it was pre-digital. The only time I watched TV at all was when I was stuck at my sisters house with Foxtel and no games or DVDs. I’d actually rank TV (both free to air and pay TV) lower than I would mobile games on the entertainment scale. A very strange turn of events considering how much time I’ve spent channel surfing over the years.
I’m a fan of NCIS and Mad as Hell but other than that I basically find out what’s ahead and queue it up for recording via a TVHeadEnd box for later viewing (and so I can skip the ads FreeView is so fond of!)
Eh, since everything kicked over to digital I’ve had super bad reception. (I live in a rental and upgrading the aerial is problematic.) I got tired of seeing “your recording has failed due to lack of signal” messages and gave up on free to air. I mostly watch things on catch up sites or stream them through various places.
Doctor Who… but that was through iView, so not sure if it counts. Actual (non-on-demand) television? Last time would have been when I visited my parents for Christmas last year. My television hasn’t been used to watch TV since I hooked up the antenna nearly three years ago.
Free-to-Air?????. Before it was just called TV… It was and has never been free. Ads paid for it. Pay-TV, takes the ad money and gouges the user for a subscription as well….
Naming it Free-to-Air means they just intend to turn it into pay-tv down the track.
Maybe for the rare Aussie sporting event my wife actually allows me to watch, and I have to admit that I am not completely repulsed when she wants to watch Offspring. We recently moved and our TV isn’t even hooked up to the antenna, but it hasn’t had the slightest effect on our first-world lives.
I find most commercial TV and domestic programming (okay, I get it, reality mostly consists of cooking, renovating, and dating) horrifying.
Along these lines, I think we can also kiss goodbye ever watching something bad on TV just because there’s nothing else on. ‘Nothing else on’ will be a term that kids in the future will find alien and frightening because it’s antithetical to their world. ‘Mommy, what does the bad man mean? There’s always something on.’ (Or, for the Back to the Future fans, ‘you have to use your hands? That’s like a baby’s toy.’)
I remember a time in the 00s when I found myself watching Australian Story and 4 Corners on the ABC as part of my Saturday afternoon routine and not feeling too bad about it. Now I’d be like ‘how dare you try to actually educate me on current events when there are mothers of dragons and agents of SHIELD to watch. You should be ashamed of yourself.’
I watch ABC or SBS occasionally. I just cant do ads anymore………..Id rather pay for the shows I want than sit through all the ads telling me to buy stuff or now days election ads telling me to hate one group so I vote for the other.
I haven’t watched F2Air TV for a few weeks now, and even then that was only because Dr Who was showing. The only other time I watch TV is when there’s a movie I want to watch on which is only every week or so at best.
For me, it’s Upper Middle Bogan on ABC.
About the only stuff I watch on TV these days is sport and the news. In terms of actual shows… nope. Occasionally I’ll sit there and look at the TV when my wife is watching something, but I’d struggle to remember what was on… mainly cooking shows, probably 😛
Been in my current place for about a year now, and we still haven’t connected the TV aerial 😛
the cricket
Yep. Only use FTA for sport. Same for Foxtel. Any entertainment show I source off the net.
The last time I watched free to air was last year when I watched neighbours for two months. It was what I like to call my I watch neighbours for two months every two years faze.
last night. I usually have the TV on from homes under the hammer and bargain hunt on 7two and then switch over to that 70s show and Jimmy Fallon on abc2. I usually watch brooklyn nine-nine and south park on sbs’s catchup
For some reason, the only working antenna is connected to a TV hanging off of the wall in the bedroom. Not the ideal location.
It only ever gets turned on for sportsball and the occasional Q and A.
Living in Dubbo, watching the AFL has been a complete pain. The chances of seeing the Lions on TV this year have been pretty slim. So even sportsball doesn’t get me to turn the TV on much. I end up watching streams that are based out of the UK.
That’s right, it’s easier to follow the team from my home town by watching a broadcast from another continent.
ABC News 24 is my go-to channel if I’m up a bit early for work in the mornings. There’s some good shows on the ABC but I will stick to iview instead of tuning in at a predetermined time like some kind of savage.
The missus likes The Project while cooking dinner.
Mainly just watch SBS for the occasional foriegn movie. Can’t stand watching ads every 5 minutes on the other channels.
I do not (and have not for around 3 years) have an antenna plugged into my television. I source all my content from streaming services. The closest I come to appointment television is watching Good Game … via the podcast posting around the same time it airs.
The AFL gets a good spanking. Though it sucks being in WA when you follow the demons. Could never justify Foxtel just for that…
It’s been over a decade for me. My TVs aren’t tuned for broadcasts for that matter.
I think I’ve found myself stuck in front of commercial television a few times at friends places etc and I don’t know how anyone can do it any more when there are other options out there.
Only time the TV gets used for free to air is the Australian Open once a year. Other than that, it’s purely for video games, BDs and my Boxee media player.
Last week I flipped it on for the new Chaser show as a friend of mine was on it. Sometimes I’ll watch Q&A or the Cricket. That’s about it.
Dat ABC 24
I stopped years ago, used to be that it was easier to download stuff than wait a year and have it disrupted by nearly as many minutes worth of ads as there was content in the show itself and then gradually I just stopped giving a shit about the entire medium. TV as a concept is officially over for me I’m afraid.
Honestly it’s got to be a few years. I have watched limited amounts of TV (often while visitng my wife’s aunt/grandparents who have Foxtel) and only in short bursts. We don’t get very good reception at our place and ditched foxtel since we only ever play games, watch content streaming via Youtube or on blu-ray/DVD.
we tried to hook up the antenna aroundlast New Year’s to watch the fireworks but couldn’t get a decent signal so we gave up.
So the last time I would have watched free-to-air TV would have been via Foxtel re-broadcast in late 2011.
Last time I watched was the cricket over the weekend
Often will just have it on as background noise while cooking dinner. Generally when I get home I’ll watch MASH while I give my daughter a bottle.
I still watch heaps of FTA. I just flick through the guide when I get home from work, record what looks interesting, and watch them late so I can fast forward the ads.
It’s mainly documentaries and stuff which I wouldn’t normally stumble across in my usual online haunts. For example, the other night I watched a Vice guide to Liberia on SBS which was riveting, and definitely something I wouldn’t otherwise have seen.
FTA as a medium is definitely showing its age nowadays but I still get a lot out of it.
Every morning, I watch ABC News Breakfast.
I fucking hate the channel 7 and 9 alternatives… Complete tripe with insane amounts of ad breaks and horrible music choices for their lead in/lead out of said ad breaks.
I don’t think I’ve watched a show on TV for 10 years. Everything good is either extremely delayed or locked behind scum like Foxtel.
Pirate everything and buy the DVD box set once it’s released (GoT, Breaking Bad etc).
Excluding ABC and SBS, Australian free to air TV is utter trash that caters to the masses of ignorant bogans and confused elderly. Makes me sick just thinking about it.
AFL during the footy season. The gang gets together in an xbl party if we aren’t in the same physical space, then switch inputs to FTA. But that’s it.
And 10 mins of ABC news 24 while I eat breakfast isn’t unusual.
There’s always TVs on at the gym, pub, etc. I don’t consider myself to have tuned in, in particular.
Otherwise, Eurovision 2013 – my TV has bad digital reception and couldn’t find SBS this year.
For some reason the night after the Mockingjay premiere, my girlfriend and I kept watching the first Hunger Games on TV after we’d finished eating dinner, mostly to keep my dad company though. Other than that, I watch Good Game online occasionally, and the last time I watched TV other than that was after an episode where an episode of Archer was on! Needless to say I was in tears and am grateful my inability to even reach for the remote afterwards introduced me to that show. That was like, early last year or something though.
I think it would have been 2010 when I disconnected the antenna, haven’t watched it in my house since.
Now I have seen it at other people’s houses occasionally, and I have to say, the quality looks worse than when it was analogue! It looks like a bad youtube channel.
4 years ago. Have not look back since.
Same with commercial radio – now listen to Tripple J,
I pretty only watch ABC and SBS, maybe a dozen times a week.
It was pretty much my only option early last year when I was visiting my Dad.
In the future I’ll know to bring something along I guess.
It was little but reality tv for days. It was awful.
I tried to tune in to watch Good Game last week, but I decided to catch it later on iView after finding other things to watch on YouTube first. I think the series finale of VGHS was on the same night…
FYI Good Games youtube channel posts the video in 720p the morning after airing. Much better quality that iView.
Oh I know, I like that they post the reviews separately o their channel as well – sometimes the review I want to watch is last on the schedule, so their YouTube channel is a godsend :).
NRL grand final would be my last time I think. and I watch some sbs demand on my ps4
The last thing I watched on free to air in Australia was The Code on ABC.
Usually watch ABC1, SBS & 7mate. Will watch Eleven sometimes on Wednesdays or Sundays for The Simpsons or Futurama.
Other than that, occasionally Channel Ten/One for the F1’s & the Moto GP.
When visiting my parents. Who are in their 60s.
ABC for kids, nearly every day
All the time, not fussed about getting stuff 4 seconds after its released in the states.
PVR everything, skip the ads.
ABC breakfast every morning and Seinfeld during dinner.
I watch FTA every day, mostly ABC News 24, a little of SBS, and occasionally the commercial stations for sports or if there’s a good movie on.
i came here to comment, but realised i wont be on page one and no one will pay attention here.
Like … on purpose? I usually end up sitting on a couch with my parents should I visit their place watching ABC or SBS for an hour or two… but that’s more or less incidental. Outside of that I couldn’t possibly tell you.
When my in-laws visit. They invariably ask to put on The Voice, or Crappy Dancing, or whatever other ridiculous nonsense they’re currently in to. I try to be nice and be quiet and let them enjoy it, so far the record is 11 minutes before I start complaining.
The last time I watched TV was probably the year of my high school graduation, after that I’ve only bought dvds and blu rays. I don’t even watch sport live, I stream it. I just can’t help but cringe if I hear a TV going, kind of the way you cringe at how managers of retail stores always seem to BELIEVE IN their store policies and advertising (if you’ve ever worked retail) but to everyone else, it’s just alienating.
Wow. wow! Ive never really thought about it.
I seriously can not remember the last time I watched something on free to air. It has literally been quite a number of years!
There’s been some pretty good stuff on the ABC in the last year. I usually end up watching it on iView though, so not sure whether you’d count that. Some of my favourites include:
* The Roast (which sadly isn’t coming back next year due to budget cuts)
* Shaun Michallef’s Mad as Hell
* Q&A
* The Checkout
* The Code
Like 6 months ago I think.
I used to watch F1 on One but I just stream that now cos no ads.
ABC News 24 in the background while gaming. Other that, the TV is for PS4 only.
Turned the telly on to watch the cricket last week and no reception. It could have been like that for months though because it hasn’t been switched on since last summer when there was cricket to watch.
Watching it now. Don’t have pay tv. Doesn’t bother me much.
I generally use a DVR, but ABC programming, specifically Media Watch, Mad as Hell, and I sat down and watched a good finish to the last Day/Nighter against South Africa.
during the pre-build process of our house this year, the consultant asked if we wanted to have the “tv antenna connection (can’t remember the exact term – something related to having free tv in a home)” installed for an additional cost of $2k, my partner and I looked at each other and loled.
Passed on that shit and used that money on mahogany wooden floor boards and more data access points around the house
I haven’t had my TV plugged into the antenna since 2003. I’m not into any sports so since then it has just been DVDs followed by my Xbox 360 with ABC iView, SBS On Demand or whatever shows I have downloaded.
I hate having to schedule when to watch something because of its screening time and ads are so f—ing moronic they infuriate me.
When I go to my parents place for dinner we watch TV, but last time I sought out free-to-air myself, was probably September last year. It was 3am, I was on holidays and I had nothing else to do, so I turned on the TV and watch some TV psychic crap
All of my TV viewing is from digital media: Chromecast, downloaded TV shows, streaming etc.
Mad as Hell is about it for me. I also don’t mind checking out MASH re-runs or Mythbusters if they’re on… despite owning both shows on DVD already 😛
And my 4 yo loves Family Feud. It’s teaching her about free association and numbers, and she’s already pretty good at it.
Just had to return to this because I remembered last night (while watching it again) that I actually watched Fargo on SBS free to air when it was on a few months back. Such a great show.
I don’t really watch TV of any sort.
It really infuriates a lot of people for some reason.
My wife watches a lot of TV, since she’s not really into videogames. The TV is mostly on SBS, ABC or ABC Dig Radio.
Pretty much only watch ABC & SBS and when I miss a show I switch to Iview or SBS on demand.
I’m guessing this will scale back now as the quality of shows offered by them are expected to be scaled back in line with their budget cuts. I mean come on ABC are now showing That 70’s Show?
Today, whilst restoring my Apple TV to factory settings (been having Netflix problems). I flicked through every single available FTA channel. “The horror, the horror”. Seriously WTF happened to TV? Not even a midday movie. Just channel after channel of infomercials and panel shows. Before today, probably abou t two years ago.