Over-60s have slammed Australian free-to-air TV and claimed “mindless” reality shows and near-constant adverts have ruined some of the main channels.
Television as a whole has undergone a major overhaul in recent years, as classic soaps and game shows are replaced by reality programmes and countless start-ups. And now Baby Boomers have hit out at the changes as many choose to watch paid-for streaming services like Netflix, Stan and Foxtel, or simply ditch TV altogether.
In a new poll carried out by Starts at 60, readers were asked: “What do you think of free-to-air Australian TV programmes at the moment? Are they better now, or did you prefer them a few years ago?”
A staggering 90 per cent of respondents said they’re “sick of Aussie TV” because they think it’s gone downhill, while just 10 per cent said they prefer free-to-air TV now — with many of those explaining they mainly choose ABC or SBS, which have less adverts.
“Free to air is abysmal, full of low intellect programs like MKR, Married at First Sight, and so-called ‘reality shows’, etc, etc, etc,” reader Brian Lee said.
“They are all cheap-to-produce rubbish, and couldn’t interest a flea for more than ten seconds! About the only free channels worth watching are ABC and SBS. We tend to watch Netflix quite a lot with their choices and their reasonable charges.”
He wasn’t alone, with Jan Coleman adding: “The free to air TV is nothing but a platform for advertising infomercials, and pushing there (sic) own station there is little respect of programming for people who don’t have a choice, and cannot afford pay TV.
“Very tired of reality that’s not real, fake cooking, fake dating, and have to wonder why all the cheap crap being made aimed at millennials and (sic) don’t even watch TV.”
While more readers called for major channels to ditch reality TV shows altogether, others took direct aim at the near-constant adverts interrupting their favourite shows, with one even claiming: “We timed the ads to the show last night. Ads nearly six minutes show five minute segments. So the shows interrupt the ads.”
Joan Rowe revealed her family have almost completely stopped watching TV altogether, instead opting for the odd movie or “silence” in its place, while others said they now prioritise Netflix, Stan and Foxtel instead.
“ABC is OK mostly, but the other channels spend so much time with adverts, the show/programme you are watching loses continuity. If we want to see something on free tv we usually record it and fast forward the ads,” Ann Parker explained.
Many respondents said they only watch ABC and SBS now, with Dorothy Carbone saying: “I don’t have any pay-TV just free to air. ABC and SBS are best. Reality TV is mindless crap. I have never watched and never will. Tv promos are enough!!”
However, defending the mainstream shows such as Channel 9, Channel 7 and more, Valerie Bush said: “I think it is easy to have a go at free to air TV they have to fund themselves whereas ABC, SBS all totally funded by the tax payer.
“Perhaps we should be asking or need to ask whether and how they compete with commercial media enterprises, and what might be done to ease the pressure to compete with a totally Gov funded media. Free-to-air television has a role in maintaining our Australian identity just as much as taxpayer-funded media.”
She insisted that losing all of the free-to-air TV channels would create a “void in preserving Australian identity” — essentially causing more harm than good.
Others said they don’t fit either box, as some still choose to watch the odd free-to-air show but dodge others.
It’s an issue that has sparked debate for some time, and the country’s most-loved actors and actresses — who have been there every step of the way on everything from A Country Practice and Play School to A Current Affair, Family Feud and Home and Away – have previously shared their thoughts on the impact of reality TV in exclusive chats with Starts at 60.
Legendary actor Mike Munro, 65, claimed he has noticed in recent years that news and current affairs shows have begun to focus less on long-running investigations and political scandals, and more on fast-paced news. He particularly noticed a new appetite for reality TV shows – which he believes are “morally corrupt”.
Read more: TV crisis or changing times? Veteran actors debate impact of reality TV
Meanwhile, A Country Practice and Home and Away star Shane Withington admitted it’s a shame that dramas are now being overshadowed by reality TV – even describing it as a “TV crisis”.
“The industry has changed dramatically”, he explained. “There is a lot more reality TV which I think is a deep shame.”
Not everyone agreed that changes to TV are bad however, and Selling Houses Australia star Andrew Winter said he has embraced a “brave new world” of internet streaming sites.
“It’s like trying to say ‘we’re going to stop social media now’, but it’s a brave new world and things have changed. If you’re just going to be concerned about it being ‘so sad’, then look, time’s moving on and things have changed,” he said.
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