The answer in our house at the moment is a big fat Zero as our TV has just broken.
Apparently though the biggest TV watchers in Spain are down in Andalusia, where the average is nearly 4 hours a day, or 236 minutes, which is just above the national average of 223 minutes, an average which is slightly skewed by the vast majority of over-65-year-olds in Spain who watch over 5 hours of god-knows-what (adverts?) per day. (More stats here, in Spanish).
Young people watch barely 2 hours per day, as they are too busy chatting each other up on the internet (most of Spain has gooood broadband).
Anyway, back to the harsh reality that has befallen our household. The TV has broken. While we usually watch at least one film or episode of some US export (Desperate Housewives, Heroes etc) every night, the lack of TV led to a particularly pleasant evening last night, flicking through old coffee table books and listening to music.
But how long can we hold out? There’s got to be a 32 inch HDTV with our name on it somewhere in the Corte Ingles…
How important is the TV in your lives?
Brenda Grate
10 Jan 08 at 6:49 pm
Television watching in my life seems to ebb and flow. Right now I don’t watch much as I’m usually too busy writing or going out with friends. But, over the holidays (especially because we got a surround sound system for Christmas), I watched quite a bit. I mostly watch movies, but I love Lost and CSI and will even watch reruns of those.
I think it’s amazing the things you’ll find to do when you turn off the t.v. We really do waste a lot of time watching, but it’s so fun.
Good luck on your t.v. hunt.
ValenciaSon
10 Jan 08 at 8:18 pm
I think TV is very important and yet I find myself watching less and less since the proliferation of reality TV shows. I also watch less because I can time shift with DVR so I’m not watching some other show waiting for mine to follow it. Good luck on your TV hunt Ben. Let us know what you end up with.
Beckett
10 Jan 08 at 8:19 pm
Well, thanks to the continuing writer’s strike in Hollywood, I predict that television viewing habits both in the U.S. and Europe (which seems to rely heavily on Hollywood programming to fill the hours of programming) will change dramatically until new programming returns. People will probably wind up spending more time online.
There are already signs of the impact of the strike in the U.S. with canceled awards shows and an increase in programming of reality tv and game shows. A spin-off that was planned for Heroes has already been benched.
A journalist friend of mine who covers the TV industry told me that even if the strike is settled this month, because of the long lead time on show production, the fall of 2008 is shaping up to be a season with no pilots (of new TV shows) and no new episodes of returning series.There’s already talk that the entire 2008-2009 TV season is probably pretty much a loss. That means no new episodes of Heroes, Desperate Housewives, House, Grey’s Anatomy, etc. until 2009. I wonder how our buddy Tad will make up for LOST time.
Beckett
10 Jan 08 at 8:23 pm
Just to clarify, when I said no new episodes until 2009, I meant the FALL of 2009. That’s a loooooooong time to go without any fresh episodes of anything decent.
leftbanker
10 Jan 08 at 9:43 pm
There is a show on American TV called The Wire that in my opinion is the best thing ever made for television. It has recently begun its 5th season. Television right now is much better than films. They have finally realized (at least in America, UK TV has known it far longer) the advantages they have over movies, which is time, the time to develop characters. The Wire has minor characters with more screen-time than lead actors in feature films. These new shows are like the serialized works of Dickens or Zola.
This flies in the face of the way it used to be when people would talk condescendingly of TV and claim to never watch it. They would go to movies because film was considered a higher art form. Movies can still be magical but MOST are crap. Most of the programs on TV are probably bad as well but there are some rather brilliant things on the small screen these days.
P.S. I have a huge TV in my place but I watch most of what I download on my laptop. It’s tough to beat the image quality on a great computer, and if the film is in Spanish I understand better through headphones.
PattyN
10 Jan 08 at 10:01 pm
…But how long can we hold out?…
I think you could easily go for 10-15 years. I haven’t owned a TV in many years, and although I do occasionally miss it, at this point, I can’t imagine ever getting another one.
ValenciaSon
11 Jan 08 at 12:22 am
But if you don’t have a tv, how do you know which way to point your furniture?;)
Jonk
11 Jan 08 at 7:49 am
Hey Ben
I have a tv but I watch it so rarely I might as well get rid of it. I only watch it for cricket or dvds, really.
Life without tv is so much more rewarding. At first you will be bored a bit but then you’ll find your mind awakening — this week I’ve been bored during the day (night shift right now) but instead of flicking on the tv, I have done a cd Spanish course, learnt how to cook slices (and completely massacred my first caramel slice), gone to the beach, read two books, played poker with friends…. I find my life so much more rewarding since I stopped watching the tv !
Ben
11 Jan 08 at 8:22 am
@Beckett… but the witers strike is only a couple of months old, how can that then lead to a year or more of no new TV?!
@LB – I tried the Wire but didn’t manage to get into it, strange I know, as everyone raves about it… maybe I was too used to crazy stuff
@PattyN – wow – well done! I think we will try without it for a while, I feel more creative already!
mosca cojonera
11 Jan 08 at 8:23 am
Watching TV is very similar to smoking or some hard drugs… It gives the impression that is absolutely impossible to live without it.
In our case, the thing started many years ago, when Aznar was president. It was so revolting to see him saying things he would say, that we stopped watching TV at some point. We would listen to the radio instead: we realized you can do other things while listening to it, while TV means either you sit in front of it or you can’t watch it.
We now follow the news on the radio, newspapers and internet. We watch tv series on dvd sometimes and rent some films from time to time. But if you stop watching TV for long enough, you can get the scary feeling (at the beginning) that it gives you to get to the office every morning and realize you don’t talk about things exactly in the same way as everyone does. It seems everyone had read the same script every morning. It’s not that: they just had their daily dose the night before.
Sounds a little hippy-apocaliptic-showy… but it’s worth trying at least once in your life. It doesn’t hurt
Apologies for the long comment.
Andrew
11 Jan 08 at 10:04 am
Most TVs come with an off-button and if there is nothing worth watching then switch it off. Why this becomes an intellectual or moral crusade for the weak-willed I’ve never understood. Maybe I’m spoilt being English as for me TV can be stimulating and educational and it doesn’t stop me from doing lots of other things. I’m not afraid to admit it – I’m Andrew and I watch TV.
Parubin
11 Jan 08 at 10:15 am
It’s been a while since my home TV is only that appliance that I use to hook up the DVD (what a wonderful invention, the DVD!!!).
I never watch TV, seems such a waste of time, except for Real Madrid football games. Not even the news, which I briefly follow on the radio, the internet and newspapers (newspapers only on sundays).
I love watching films, but I can’t stand them on TV as I can’t bear commercial breaks or I don’t have a routine that allows me to sit and watch at the time they are on the air.
So when I’m in the mood for a movie I always pop the DVD in and problem is over. I am the type that likes to watch the same move twice or more if I still enjoy it (for instance I’ve seen more than once ‘The Last of the Mohicans’ and ‘White Hunter, White Heart’ in the last month, just because I was in the mood for them).
As for TV series, I only like American productions (especial those by HBO). It doesn’t mean that I like all American series (they also have their good share of crap) but just that anything that’s not American doesn’t quite catch my eye.
Recent TV series that I love are ‘The Sopranos’, ‘Six Feet Under’, ‘Deadwood’, ‘Rome’, ‘The Wire’ and ‘24′. I have all seasons on DVD, I watch more than one episode if I want (don’t have to wait till next week) and I watch it in the original English, without it being dubbed into Spanish.
How I learn about these series if I don’t watch TV? I follow a couple of friends’ advice whose tastes are very reliable for me.
There is a big rave about ‘Lost’ and ‘Prison Break’ but I haven’t seen any of those. Anyone recommend??
Parubin
11 Jan 08 at 10:18 am
Ooops… that’s ‘White Hunter, Black Heart’ (not White Hunter, White Heart) by Clint Eastwood, the film that I referred to in the previous post.
MarÃa
11 Jan 08 at 12:35 pm
As Patty, we don’t even own a tv here. The computer has a tv card, though, that we only connect to see… F1 races
richardksa
11 Jan 08 at 2:12 pm
I have a really bad TV antenna and so I hardly watch TV, except for when Particia Conde is on. (I’m in love!!!!!) Occasionally I have the morning soaps playing in the background. It’s good for picking up the odd new expression. Other than that, there’s too much to do. Except right now, as I have a miserable cold and actually do wish my antenna was better.
Edith
11 Jan 08 at 3:20 pm
TV is very important in my life, thanks to the BBC! I love watching documentaries and good TV drama.
Watching foreign-language channels can be a great learning tool.
TVE Internacional may not be as good as the BBC, but watching it for a number of years has really helped me to improve my Spanish listening skills!
Edith
11 Jan 08 at 3:33 pm
I forgot to mention all those great sitcoms and cookery programs.
Like Andrew says, every TV set comes with an off-button, so switching it off is entirely up to you. If people would bother to buy a TV guide, they would know it’s not all crap!
Watching TV doesn’t mean I haven’t got time for other things, such as reading books or meeting other people.
Stuart
11 Jan 08 at 4:51 pm
The only screen I stare at is the computer screen, whether I’m watching Heroes or not.
Frank
11 Jan 08 at 6:59 pm
I’m also a “rarely watch tv” type. Have never seen a soap, and never watched any of the dire stuff that comes out of the States. Will occasionally watch some wildlife, or some of the better stuff on BBC, but that’s about it. How people can sit through those Big Brother type programmes is absolutely beyond me. I think I could live happyly without a TV, or perhaps one with just the BBC channels!
Frank
11 Jan 08 at 7:04 pm
Read a very interesting blog by a Spanish guy living in UK, and he gave his “10 Razones para vivir en Inglaterra” (he also gives “10 razones para huir de Inglaterra!!). His number 2 was,
2. Ver la BBC. Es un lujo, un placer y un privilegio. La mejor cadena televisiva que he visto en toda mi vida. No sólo los informativos, sino el resto de programas, desde las series clásicas a las retransmisiones deportivas. Su depliegue durante Wimbledon ha sido magnífico. Qué elegancia, qué respeto por el espectador, qué diversidad de contenidos. Y qué independencia de los políticos. Solo sobra Eastenders, pero como es una institución, pues no hay quien se lo cargue.
And all without adverts!
Ben
11 Jan 08 at 7:05 pm
Yes, just the BBC on my tele, that wouldn’t be bad! We actually never watch Spanish TV except for the odd episode of the dubbed CSI triple bill on Monday nights. I will miss films without a TV, but I can actually live without the American series we were so into without too much trouble at all.
Beckett
11 Jan 08 at 11:23 pm
@Ben, This is probably more than you wanted to know but here goes…. Before the strike, many shows had not completed filming the current season’s slate of shows. That means, barring any radical side deals/arrangements, there will be no more new episodes of several shows until the strike is over. Once the strike is over, it will take several weeks to ramp production and filming back up. So once the strike is over, it’s still going to take awhile to replenish the networks’ programming. Just a historical footnote, the last Hollywood strike, 20 years ago, lasted 6 months.
Frank
12 Jan 08 at 9:46 am
Nice to read about a strike that I knew nothing about, and that won’t affect me one iota!
Long may they continue!
UKMark
12 Jan 08 at 1:58 pm
On a positive note, what Spanish programmes do you enjoy watching? I enjoyed Espana directo, as you often got to see regional fiestas, dishes, wildlife, architecture etc. Cuentame como paso was also something that impressed me.
Parubin
12 Jan 08 at 1:59 pm
The thing is that nowadays a lot of the most creative, talented and skilled film-making in the world takes place on a bunch of selected American series. Especially those produced by HBO. There’s nothing quite like it, even on the big screen you won’t find anything like ‘The Sopranos’, arguably the best fiction American entertainment (thus, world entertainment) in the last 25 years.
So the writers strike will definately affect film-making at its best, especially if the TV stations realize that they can replace the better shows for much cheaper crappy realities without losing much audience.
ValenciaSon
12 Jan 08 at 2:41 pm
@ UKMark: Here in the US, I watch España Directo daily with my parents on TVE Internacional and I enjoy its contemporary Spanish slice of life approach. Some of the women on the show are not too hard on the eyes.
@Parubin: the Sopranos was truly a great series. Did you ever watch “6 Feet Under”? I recommend this series if it’s not already in your DVD collection.
@Beckett: Do you think the strike will cause network television to change its business model where it’s mostly based on content on demand as opposed to advertising revenues?
parubin
12 Jan 08 at 3:01 pm
@Valenciason : Yes, all six seasons are in my DVD collection. ‘Six Feet Under’ (also by HBO) is another of the best ever TV series. Actually, on my previous post [january 11, 10:15 am] (ok, it was a long post, I don’t expect it to be fully read) I already talked about ‘Six Feet’, ‘Rome’, ‘Deadwood’, ‘The Wire’ and ‘24′.
All of them are hard drugs to my eyes.
Gary
13 Jan 08 at 9:50 am
I have no Idea what time anything is on – we have cable TV with the facility to record 2 channels whilst watching a third. Consequently over the week we construct what you might term as our own channel. Should we get an hour to relax in front of the TV we are guaranteed programmes in which we are interested and, whats more we can zap through the adverts at 32x speed enabling us to watch a 1 hour programmme in 45 minutes.
Ben
13 Jan 08 at 10:34 am
@Gary – that sounds good – what I’m waiting for is the ability to download for a fee any film ever made whenever I want to watch it. The on-line, infinite video club.
We are part of the way there with some of the packs on offer in Spain that let you download/rent films via e.g. Telefonica’s adsl service imagenium, but most of the films are a bit crap.
One day the service providers and rights holders will wake up to the new world we live in and offer us their entire back catalogue whenever we want it. The technology is already in place.
Jay
14 Jan 08 at 4:28 pm
I could watch Callejeros Cuatro all day long. There are some nice people out there who uploaded a bunch of episodes to Youtube for those of us no loner in Spain.
luke
15 Jan 08 at 2:48 pm
I hate Brad Pitt since my wife fancies him and he can’t act BUT leave the TV and go see ‘Assassination of Jesse James…’ at the cinema. Brad actually does manage to pull it off but he’s not the star, watch the ‘Robert Ford’ character. Being a long, yet well paced film, I got sucked into a strangely dreamy yet realistic drama. Much better than the enjoyable ‘3.10 to Yuma’. Also see the Coen Bros on great form with ‘No Country for Old Men’ and the beautiful, emotional Joy Division film ‘Control’.
Beckett
15 Jan 08 at 11:36 pm
Some new info about the strike:
http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-story-studioscanceltvwritercontracts,0,7536216.story?coll=zap-news-headlines
Beckett
15 Jan 08 at 11:42 pm
@Valencia Son, the television networks are scrambling to find a new financial model that works as well as for them as the current one. It’s pretty tough to give up those multi-million dollar paydays for broadcasting the Superbowl, the Oscars and popular shows.
jill
16 Jan 08 at 2:24 pm
How does the ironing get done if you don’t watch tv?
Ben
16 Jan 08 at 4:35 pm
… the what?
Sharon
26 Jan 08 at 11:06 am
Does anyone know which channel ‘LOST’ is on, and what time it’s shown ( on spanish tv ?) I know it’s dubbed, my Spanish neighbours havn’t seen it, but woud like to.
Carl
31 Jan 08 at 4:44 am
My comment got cut before… It was … check out “30Rock” when it gets to Spain, very funny – but in English!
palo montoya
5 Feb 08 at 11:13 am
I hate all you nerds go away from the internet and watch some tv like normal people like me