Streamingalso brought with it the complete power to choose what to watch and when to watch. Since its arrival in the middle of the 20th century, TV has been a broadcast medium, like radio. You could choose to tune into a channel, but you had no control over what was playing. This might sound negative, and it was when you couldn’t find anything to watch. We used to sit there just endlessly scrolling through the channels, unsatisfied with everything TV had to offer.
How I Learned To Start Worrying And Hate The Binge
As more companies got in the game, they inundated the market with options, and they couldn’t all win. That’s led to some consolidation, and now you’re able to getDisney+and Hulu bundled together like a cable package in the United States. Warner Bros. Discovery is leasing out its movies and TV shows to Netflix, as David Zaslav reinvents syndication.
Most of those changes aren’t especially fun, though I do look forward to more streamers combining so I can pay for less subscriptions. But one unambiguously cool new trend is the return of the programming schedule. One streamer at a time, we are rediscovering the joy of letting go of analysis paralysis and allowing someone else to choose what you watch for you.
Discovering Something New With Planned Programming
The Criterion Channelrecently implemented a feature, Criterion 24/7, that effectively turns the streaming service into a movie channel, with every movie on the service potentially up next. The movies are all still only a search bar away if you want to watch them the regular way. But when you open the app, there’s always the option to just check in and see what’s playing.
I had done this a few times before this weekend, catching bits and pieces of movies before I inevitably moved on. But, on Sunday afternoon I threw 24/7 on for the ambience while I was making coffee. I ended up finishing my chore just as a new movie was starting. I had been planning to watch a movie that afternoon, but didn’t have anything in mind. So, instead of agonizing over what to watch, I just went with what Criterion had picked. Now I’ve seen and enjoyed Three Colors: Red — a great movie I wouldn’t have gotten around to for God knows how long otherwise.
The Downsides Of A 24/7 Content Buffet
This is an experience I missed having. When I was a kid, catching something cool on TV was always a good time — the same way it’s more fun to randomly hear a song you love on the radio than it is to queue it up on a playlist. Technology moved away from this as DVD box sets made it easier to access every episode in a series, and the DVR paved the way for streaming’s buffet, collecting all your episodes of all your shows in a menu where you could pick and choose. But before any of those things, I just watched what was on TV and liked it.
When I’m at my parents house or staying in a hotel, I can still do this and it’s always a treat.
Sure, to some extent I just like this because it’s the way it was when I was a kid, and I’ve missed it. But I’m also tired of spending an hour flicking between streaming services attempting to find the perfect movie. I’m tired of being the ultimate arbiter of what I watch all the time. Choice is essential, but having to make every decision is exhausting.
