What Has Happened To Weekend Tv?

[anotheoldgit]

Once Saturday and Sunday nights were the two nights when most of the family gathered around the TV, with their sweets and chocolate to watch a good game show, a variety show and perhaps a good film, not any longer I'm afraid.

[Zacs-Master]

1. Greater wealth so that people go out much more. If people go out more, advertising revenue drops and the commercial stations can't afford to make decent TV.
2. Perception. You're looking back with nostalgia. Saturday TV is made to appeal to a younger audience (people with families)
3. The internet. People have different ways of entertaining themselves.
4. Sky etc. People can record things to watch when they want rather than it being a big event in the TV viewing week.

I'm sure there are other factors too.

[mikey4444]

Well, now that Morecambe and Wise are dead, and one half of A+D is unwell, what are we left with ?

[hc4361]

People seem to eat sweet and chocolates all day, every day, too - it's no longer a weekend treat.

[goodgoalie]

I think Sunday evenings are not bad, but Saturdays are unremittingly awful, and have been for ages. I record things during the week and watch them on Sat evening.

[anotheoldgit]

mikey4444

Surely Mikey you are not placing A+D on the same level as the late, great Morecambe and Wise, are you?

[mikey4444]

No. most certainly not AOG !

But I would question whether families spend Saturday evenings together any more, or as much as they used.

When you are I were boys, there wasn't really much of an alternative to the Telly on a Saturday night. We had few other distractions, but now kids have a wealth of things to do instead.

[Mamyalynne]

With so many channels now, even without paying for extra services - the trick is to peruse what's on in the week.

Even in the daytime schedules there are some interesting bits, record them and build up a library for times when what is being broadcast doesn't suit.

[Buenchico]

The advertising revenue of ITV has dropped by 90% in real terms since its heyday. That's partly through the vast increase in the number of channels available (meaning that funding from advertising has to be spread much more thinly) and partly because many advertisers are turning away from using expensive TV commercials in favour of far cheaper (and often more effective) social media campaigns. With only 10% of the money it used to get, it's unsurprising that ITV can no longer afford to show many blockbuster movies, big-budget historical dramas or entertainment shows featuring lots of expensive acts.

Other independent channels also have very limited funds to invest in new content.

At the same time, BBC budgets have been heavily constrained by governments (of both political colours) being unwilling to allow the licence fee to rise as fast as it needs to in order for the quality of programming to be maintained. Further, the ruling that the BBC must buy in 25% of its content from independent producers (rather than making everything 'in house', as it used to) has pushed up the costs of programming. The percentage of 'bought in' programming is set to rise to 40%, with the broadcasting unions blaming that partly upon Government pressure.

So the simple answer to the question "Why isn't weekend TV as good as it used to be?" is simply "Because there's not enough money to pay for it".

[anotheoldgit]

mikey4444
When I was a boy Mikey there was no telly.

[Zacs-Master]

Luxury. Wen I wear a lad we used t after draw t'pictures on t'slates an flick thru em to make t' movies.

[Buenchico]

I was too busy playing with my pet dinosaur!

[hereIam]

I agree aog TV at weekends is rubbish now, except when Strictly comes back of course !

[Arksided]

I don't bother with TV on Saturday evenings exception been MOTD, international break so watched a couple of fims I hadn't see before.

As a kid Video was the new thing so back then it were a family get together with two films sweets and pop.

[Purist]

Yet I don't think it cost a kings ransom to make some of the great shows from the past, Morecambe and Wise, The Generation Game, Noels House Party, Blind Date, The Golden Shot, Play your Cards Right, The Price is Right. Sale of the Century, Many of the Prizes were low budget, the sets were low budget.
Tv has become so dull and depressing with gritty real life reality shows, cooking shows, judging shows repeated ad nauseum!

[hc4361]

The Generation Game is coming back, with Mel and Sue at the helm.

[Mamyalynne]

Can't wait for the threads (joke).

[zebo]

On the positive side, a new series of Montalbano is on and we are recording When The Boat Comes In, never saw the original as we were overseas, when we're stuck we watch that, it seems to go on forever though, there are still 26 episodes to watch! I wish the Food channel would go off air and stop OH watching those gross men eating enormous piles of junk, nauseating to see.

[trt]

## Surely Mikey you are not placing A+D on the same level as the late, great Morecambe and Wise, are you? ##

I agree, tv on a Saturday is rubbish, but why does everybody keep going back too Morcambe and Wise, its a different generation, and their act wouldn't be funny today.

But if you checked the amount of repeats thats shown for the whole week, its disgraceful.

Ch5 must be one of the worst for making programmes that dont cost much, like their benefit/on the dole types, and Sky Living, are still showing Nothing to Declare daily, which I watched 10 years ago.

[Smowball]

Mr Smow and I had this conversation last night - we sat down after dinner and he flicked through the channels, then flicked through again, then he handed me the remote and said "you try and find something coz I can't". As has been said there were endless repeats, reality shows like TOWIE which I absolutely Bruges to watch, the the new X Factor started- which again I refuse to watch as it's so fixed. We ended up downloading a horror film which was complete poop!!

[Buenchico]

Purist has some very odd choices for "great shows from the past"!

OK, of course Morecambe & Wise deserves to be there (as would The Two Ronnies, for example). The Generation Game was 'good for its time' (but I doubt that repeats of it would attract large audiences). Some might even argue that the same could be said of Noel's House Party.

But what on earth are shows like The Price is Right or Blind Date, both of which never deserved any air time at all, doing in that list?

If you want some actual figures for the costs of making different types of TV programmes (derived from a BBC document), please refer to my post here:
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Media-and-TV/Question1477616.html