My brain-wires had apparently shorted and took itself back to 10 years ago, when we used to rush home on specific days at specific times so we didn't miss TV. (This fuse was particularly suitable to the mid-90's stranglehold NBC had had on Thursday nights.) Today with our DVR's, who rushes home for broadcasts? Let the show wait for us, we say!
And yet there are still shows that resonate so deeply that you can't help but need the most immediate consumption possible. I actually could wait a night for new 30 Rock's. But in this recent last season of Battlestar Galactica? Not a chance. My fiance & Gossip Girl: night of; it's practically a law. My mom recently got a DVR and records about 98% of all television, and yet new Grey's Anatomy is a reason to leave Thursday nights commitment-less.
In a period of time-less television (as in scheduling, certainly not in terms of quality), we still find ourselves the occasional slave to programming. Even online versions of broadcast shows has us calculating viewings on the fly. And in this period, the networks cry foul: if viewers timeshift, ad revenue plummets.
Woe is the channel with slightly less money.
But if networks had such compelling content that viewers couldn't help but have to be a part of the most exclusive event possible - watching it live - then when the first ad block hits, there's no future for the DVR button to fast forward to: viewers are forced to watch. (Or at least chat about the first segment. Or flip to another channel. Or get up to pee.) The music industry is finally adapting to this new digital model: abandon all hope of sales profits, and focus capitalization on singular, non-repeatable experiences.
I remember Battlestar Galacticas last seasons' episodes far more than the earlier ones because they were the most compelling. To the point where I can even recall the ad campaigns run during that time. (Nerd alert, in 3... 2... 1...) On a Friday night, I wanted nothing more than to get home, open a beer, hit the couch, and utterly consume the final episodes. In a way, today, I can say, "I was there".
In this era of timeshifting, on-demand, and endless content, you better give us something truly compelling - addictive even - if you expect us to stop blogging, creating videos, or rocking the plastic guitar.