Jamie Watches TV on the Internet - A Mini-Rant

I came across this article: "Fox Starts its Web Pullback and ABC Gets Ready to Follow" via Felicia Day's twitter (@feliciaday).  Not surprising to see the creator of an awesome web series (The Guild) taking an interest in this story, and I'm so glad that she posted it to her world of twitter followers because it gives me a chance to give you all my two cents on the topic.  So here is my open letter to cable networks.  I recognize that I could probably solve some of my own problems, but what the hell is the point of a blog if not to complain to strangers.  And I'm pretty nice about it.


Dear ABC, CBS Fox, & NBC:


Despite putting some awful crap on television, you each have some shows that I find thoroughly entertaining.  There are a good half a dozen (sometimes more) that I take the effort to watch each and every week.  However, I also have a life.  Contrary to what some may think, I don't sit on my couch every night so that I do not miss my favorite shows.  Alternatively, I can't always stay up long enough to watch the shows you put on at 10.  So I greatly appreciate that within the next day or so, I can pull up your website, see all your lovely ads and pop-ups, and stream the show when I have the time to watch it.  Thanks to my friend Krystal, I can even hook the computer up to the TV and watch it as you intended.  Then I'm not behind and should I find myself on the couch the next week at the time when the show is on, I can watch it.


This 8 day wait concept is ridiculous.  If I miss one week, then have to wait 8 days, I am never going to catch up.  I'm also not going to watch the show "live" again until there is some kind of hiatus, because I'll be behind.  I'll probably start watching something on another channel.  I'll see the commercials they are showing.  All because you couldn't get it together to put my show up online right away.


I don't have a DVR/Tivo, which would be a viable solution to this problem.  But you, of all people, should love me for that.  I have to watch the commercials you put online.  And I totally don't care that they are there.  I have watched TV for most of my life with commercials, I know how to tune out the inane and I even appreciate those that are well-crafted.  So please, keep putting those ads up for me to watch, because then I know that you are getting some money for my favorite shows. 


Speaking of credit and money for my favorite shows: linked in the article above is another article talking about how the creator of Modern Family doesn't even want his show online, because his show is not getting anything out of it.  I kind of knew this was the case, but how long do you have to be so behind the times?  When are you going to get it through your heads that ratings have got to include online views and DVR?  Who are these Nielsen people?  Did they kidnap your children?  (If so, I know some great TV detectives that could help you out) I kind of doubt they did, so let's just bring it back to me for a minute, I watch a lot of TV.  A lot.  But I watch so much of it online that sports and the ABC Family Harry Potter weekends when they air the extended scenes are pretty much the only reason I have cable.  I also know that I'm not alone.  And that the population of people who watch stuff online is only going to grow.  So figure it out already.  It's not rocket science.  It's not like you aren't easily able to track views online. 


You can embrace the changes that have already occurred, much like you have been before this ridiculous pullback crap, or you can lose.  Because if I miss a show too much, especially a newer show that I'm not as attached to yet, and I can't catch up online.  I'm not going to buy DVR, I'm going to lose interest, and just cancel you altogether.  And I'm going to stop watching.  Or worse.  I'm going to watch it illegally.  I don't want to do that, but the internet is clearly smarter than you.  And if you don't put it out there, with your revenue-generating ads, then I'm going to find it without.  I don't want to do that.  And you, the network, can't complain about it that much (not the way your shows should), I mean you're not even properly counting my view in the first place.


Good luck figuring this out,


Jamie
Who remains a fan of TV, despite what you have done to it with your Bachelor and Jersey Shore bs.