Look At All That Choice
Fri, Dec 18, 2009 by Evan Hughes
‘There you are,’ I screamed dementedly at him, virtually rubbing his face in the heap of white plastic, ‘now you’ve got choice. Look at all that choice. They may all be shit, but look at the choice!’ - Stephen Fry, The BBC and the Future of Broadcasting
2009 is the beginning of the golden age of Australia television. Where once we were forced to pay through the nose if we wanted more than five and a half television channels, we can now flick for hours armed with little more than a digital set-top box and a HD capable TV. Oh how the mighty Foxtel is no doubt quivering in its boots to think that everything they used to offer for a premium is now streamed free of charge into our living rooms. Oh how spoiled we are to live in this enlightened age of choice, choice and more choice.
Or are we? Because what has digital TV really given us that we didn’t have before? In the grand scheme of things does “more” always have to equate to “better”?
For a long time I have resisted against the pull of pay television for the simple fact that it’s not really very good. Sure, there are definite standouts such as the critically acclaimed Love My Way but considering this is a tiny blip on what is otherwise a sea of repeats and dreadful “reality” television I would really rather not. It just doesn’t appeal to me. But digital television does appeal to me.
Or should I say did appeal to me. Because, in theory, the idea is fantastic. Love the ABC? Imagine a world where there’s not one but 4 different ABCs! Offended by most of the content on Channel 9 but can’t look away? Prepare to be triply offended. So imagine my dismay when I switch over to digital only to find that rather than innovation or even more-of-the-same I find myself watching the tried and tested Pay TV formula of more shit more of the time.
We have a sports channel whose sole purpose seems to be to lock out Pay TV from major sporting events, a “youth” channel that is back to back repeats and two other channels that are pale reflections of their flagships. Even the admirable ABC2 is more repeats of ABC1 than it is anything original. Excuse me if I’m failing to see the quality for all the choice.
I shouldn’t really have been surprised. I’ve been bemoaning the quality of Australian television for years now, it was naive to think that more was automatically going to equal better especially when television comapanies constantly whinge about the cost of producing local content.
I’m not even arguing that digital should be more of what I want – I just think we probably don’t need to see yet another repeat or Frasier, Seinfeld or Malcolm in the Middle. Let’s shake it up a bit. Let’s use the added bandwidth to try something new, take some risks, reinvent the wheel. The way I see it, digital television provides broadcasters two very unique opportunities:
- If you read any top-television-shows-of-the-all-time list I can guarantee to you that the top ten will be littered with the likes of The Sopranos, The West Wing and so on. Yet for some reason Australian TV networks refuse to broadcast these programs at a reasonable time, in their original format or even at all. Sure, devoted fans will always pick up these classics on DVD but why aren’t we allowed to watch them properly the first time around? How many neo-classic shows are Australian’s missing out on at this moment? Why has it taken Entourage so long to get to free-to-air TV, and even then only to be shown on SBS. Three new channels per network is the perfect place for broadcasters to take a chance on the next big thing and not have to worry about whether it will rate well against The Simpsons.
- Given how cheap the technology to make television has become why not give Australian’s the chance to make their own, low budget television. We are already seeing this with SBS Independent but I’d love to see other networks dipping their toe in the pool. Sure, a lot of it will be terrible and a lot of it won’t make it past a few seasons but along the way we just might find the next Chris Lilley or Gina Riley and Jane Turner. There are so many people out there with an idea for a TV show – why not give them a camera and see what happens.
I really do hope that digital television gets better, especially as next year we’ll begin phasing out analogue TV. At the very least I hope the terrible quality of the new channels doesn’t begin to destroy the quality of their flagships further than it already is. If more choice means more of the same then I might just be done with the lot of you and go and read a good book instead. Perhaps a Stephen Fry?
The one thing I will offer in defence of some freeview channels is that some have been “launched” but are essentially broadcasting repeats/the same thing as the original analogue station in a form of test pattern, and aren’t really quite ready (re quality assurance) to begin showing something not available elsewhere. Much like the ABC used to have when they shut down overnight, or how SBS used to use a weather map of Australia. There remains hope that it might improve.
The ABC ones don’t get this excuse cos they’ve had lots more practise with ABC2
I make an exception for the Go! Channel as I love Frasier, Seinfeld & Flinstones & the Jetsons. (I am also a child). Apparently if you combine the ratings from Go! with normal channel 9 it actually inreases their ratings. That’s got to say something.
But yeah the rest have no excuse. I know channel 10 is the “sport” channel but to me devoting three digital channels to sports is a waste. (Personally, I think devoting even one is a waste but I recognise I’m probably not channel 10s main demographic).
Free-to-air channels get broadcasting preference in all sports programming so by having three dedicated sports channels, Channel 10 is essentially blocking Foxtel from having any access to their main source of revenue – which I am not entirely against, but nonetheless they ought to devote one channel to girly programming like Gossip Girl, Dawsons Creek, The O.C, Talkin’ Bout my Generation and such!
Go! is the worst of the lot! You do know these shows that you love are available on DVD right
Go! is the best! Where else are you going to get: Charlie’s Angels, The Partridge Family, Legion of Super Heroes, Tom and Jerry Tales, Thunderbirds, The Jetsons, Reno 911!, Hogan’s Heroes, Get Smart, South Park, Seinfeld, The Nanny, Frasier, The Flintstones, Shaggy & Scooby-Doo, Josie and the Pussycats, TMZ, Just Shoot Me, Blackadder, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Pinky and the Brain, Married… with Children and Batman! All on one channel! For free! You would pay a premium for that on Foxtel.
(We watch too much television).
Problem is tho… the Flintstones on GO! doesn’t have the right theme song!
10HD1. I need it like I need air.
China and Russia put the blame on some screwed up experiments of US for the earthquake that happened in Haiti.
Chinese and Russian Military scientists, these reports say, are concurring with Canadian researcher, and former Asia-Pacific Bureau Chief of Forbes Magazine, Benjamin Fulford, who in a very disturbing video released from his Japanese offices to the American public, details how the United States attacked China by the firing of a 90 Million Volt Shockwave from the Americans High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) facilities in Alaska
If we can recollect a previous news when US blamed Russia for the earthquake in Georgio. What do you guys think? Is it really possible to create an earthquake by humans?
I came across this [url=http://universalages.com/hot-news/what-happened-in-haiti-is-it-related-to-haarp/]article about Haiti Earthquake[/url] in some blog it seems very interesting, but conspiracy theories have always been there.
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