I'm a cord-cutter

Apparently, along with about 800,000 households in the US, I'm a cord-cutter.

I haven't watched the TV in ages. I don't know exactly how long ago this was but at some point in the past, I decided that TV was not worth watching. Not because there were no shows worth watching (although I will admit that there is a lot of dross) but because trying to watch TV was an exercise in frustration. The main reason I stopped watching TV was that it was just too difficult to keep up.

The problem is that most shows these days tend to have a lot of continuity. If you start watching in the middle of a season, then you generally have no idea what is going on, what the relationships between the characters is or why you should care when someone dies. Unfortunately, with my work and life schedule, there was just no way that I could ensure that I would be able to keep up with the show and it was frustrating to know that I missed an episode.

By the way, I actually think the move towards more serialised shows is a good thing as it can mean a better and more coherent show if done properly. The problem is how to keep following the show when you can't be certain of catching the next episode. In the past, I didn't have a solution and simply ended up not watching any TV at all. It wasn't as if I had no other forms of entertainment.

However, with the rise of broadband and the interwebz, it has become much easier to watch TV shows online. Not only can I ensure that I don't miss an episode, but I can watch the show whenever I want! Now that I'm used to on-demand viewing, I just can't see myself going back.

If anything, I'm surprised that more households haven't cut the cord yet.