Cable TV bought more programmes and interactive services such as the shopping and history channels. This meant that the viewer had even more options creating channel hopping. Meaning people were not watching the same shows anymore so the social aspect was disappearing. As cable became more widespread it created “a more informed society”. For example, British audiences were exposed to American and European channels, which made an impression on the culture, such as a changing dress sense and language. The programs aired from America brought in US cultural customs to the UK, such as school proms and Halloween’s Trick n Treat.
Furthermore, VCR bought channels dedicated to one genre such as the food network Sky Sports and the 24 hour news, this provided viewers with different types of programs geared towards their interests . Sports TV in particular has changed viewing habits hugely; with football games and boxing title fights, sport has become a social event. Also, 24 hour rolling news created a way where you could access breaking news information instantly. Cable allowed on air programmes to use strong language, suggestive sexual content and violent images if there was a trigger warning at the start. In comparison to traditional networks like the BBC who couldnt because they were restricted what they put out because of tight regulation outlets. The increase in channels pushed up viewing times from 1 hour a day to around 3 hours and 10 minutes of TV a day.
However, in a ‘Which’ 1983 report viewers had noticed that the quality of programmes had declined. This could be because the demand for more shows had an impact on spending, with the money for programming being spread thinner. This had an effect on viewing hours bringing it down to 5 hours per week. With more dedicated genre channels VHS recordings also declined. Once again, the impact of this new technology changed habits, with viewers having to pay for content which hadn’t happened before.
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