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  • Australian TV sucks

    Free-to-air channels and pay TV are broadcasting dozens of old episodes of popular overseas series, as well as repeats of Australian shows, as a cheap alternative to producing new local content.

    Fans of The Simpsons can watch 53 episodes of the animated series in seven days on Channel Ten and Foxtel's Fox8.

    A study by The Sun-Herald reveals Two and a Half Men devotees can tune into 33 episodes of the comedy series on Channel Nine and Arena in the period August 26 to September 1. Followers of M*A*S*H can watch the show 28 times on Channel Seven and Fox Classics. Fans can see Friends 27 times in seven days on Foxtel's channel 111Hits.


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    Comments 16 Comments
    1. kerb's Avatar
      kerb -
      They need to start repeating older TV shows that we grew up with like; The A-team, Magnum PI, Nightrider, the hogan show, Kingswood country and so on.
    1. sagit's Avatar
      sagit -
      Number 96, Kenny Everett Video Show, Warship, Z Cars...
    1. Up_All_Night's Avatar
      Up_All_Night -
      What I find annoying is they'll repeat something like Hogans Hereos which I have never ever heard anyone ever say they watch or like. Although i'm sure people here probably will now say they do.
      Yet there's lots of shows that'd be great for repeating that never are.

      Foxtel used have Nick at Night on Nickelodean about 15 years ago which was all sorts of great shows like The Bob Newhart Show, Mary Tyler Moore, Jason King ect. Which have just never to know knowledge been repeated since.

      Even classics like I Love Lucy which you think would be indefinitely repeatable are stuck in bad obscure timeslots.


      With all the channels and repeats on Foxtel, there's still often nothing fucking on.
    1. rosenth's Avatar
      rosenth -
      Id rather watch anything that home shopping on every channel.
    1. Steelhip's Avatar
      Steelhip -
      My favorite time of the year is close upon us. The off ratings period. Most of the year there are maybe 2 or three shows that I watch.

      Rest is crap.
    1. maccabean's Avatar
      maccabean -
      well they are just shooting themselves in the foot really.

      people will just keep switching off. honestly how many times can you watch the same simpsons episode?

      crap australian tv is one of the reasons why i don't watch tv anymore.
    1. Blink's Avatar
      Blink -
      Start running repeats of Veronica Mars, BSG...shit like that.

      Actually I would rather repeats of shows like those than *new* local content...because with only a very few exceptions Australian TV shows suck ass. Acting, story, effects, production...everything on local shows is shit compared to US ones.
    1. Aurelius's Avatar
      Aurelius -
      I was chatting to some friends at dinner the other night, and the topic turned to how little free-to-air TV we all watch.
      There was general agreement that when Channel 10 were fucking about with Battlestar's timeslot in 2005 - flinging it all over the place as their brain-dead reality shows would run over-time - that was the trigger for most of my peers to watch Battlestar exclusively via download. And then that carried over into other programs.
      The moral of the story is the TV stations treat viewers with contempt. And thus we should show them the same.
    1. Aardvark's Avatar
      Aardvark -
      People still watch tv? I can understand if you were some country bumpkin who can only get internet via messenger pidgeon, but the majority of the populace either have or can get decent internet and should be downloading. Yeah, it screws the local content producers, but fuck 'em. Serves 'em right for making boring shit.
    1. dwarfthrower's Avatar
      dwarfthrower -
      Quote Originally Posted by Aurelius View Post
      The moral of the story is the TV stations treat viewers with contempt. And thus we should show them the same.
      Viewers are simply the "product" that TV stations sell.
    1. satori's Avatar
      satori -
      Quote Originally Posted by dwarfthrower View Post
      Viewers are simply the "product" that TV stations sell.
      ^ this.

      The quality of a TV show often has little to do with the amount of 'product' a station can offer to their clients.
    1. primus's Avatar
      primus -
      Australia bangs on about illegal content and people downloading illegally, but if they aren't going to offer it, uncut (Spartacus) and up with the rest of the world (Breaking Bad) then fuck em.
    1. Up_All_Night's Avatar
      Up_All_Night -
      Quote Originally Posted by maccabean View Post
      well they are just shooting themselves in the foot really.

      people will just keep switching off. honestly how many times can you watch the same simpsons episode?

      crap australian tv is one of the reasons why i don't watch tv anymore.
      well the simpsons shot themselves in the foot by becoming crap. It's probably part of being an adult now. I used to watch the simpsons a lot. Now I never turn it on. Partly as I said, i am in my late 20s so grown up, partly is because I watched the repeats for a good 15 years or so. I'd say mostly is because the show went on for too long the ratio of good to bad episodes is quite slim these days.



      Anyways shooting themselves in the foot. For the networks it's a viscous circle. Programming became crappier and crappier. No Niche shows or anything. Anyone that used to watch Star Trek on Channel 9 in the 90s knows how frustrating it was.

      So the networks lost the niche show viewers and a lot just won't go back, now even that they can cater some what to them with the multi channels. How ever a lot just won't go back and the established shows which have an audience have already been downloaded or shown on Foxtel or dvd so no one watches them again on GO! ect.

      Problem is the networks don't want to build an audience and a built up audience isn't an audience they can get. Foxtel doesn't care as much. Although the recent ditching of the late night line up on comedy is worrying.
      Most things get on to foxtel sooner or later. It's not that bad if you aren't downloading everything.

      FTA networks want instant audience. Which is why you get programs designed to be switched on at any time that anyone can watch. Segmented programs where between each add break is a section. Or utter shit like 20 to 1. Seriously... who the fuck would watch that?
      It's cheap and designed to get the audience of anyone at that very minute who wants to turn on the TV and watch anything. Flick it on and watch away. No need to use a neuron to figure out what's going on.


      Unfortunately the FTA networks seem as if they are toying with the idea of, we need to actually show proper shows, the digital channels are the way, but are not wanting to let them grow. The audience isn't instantly there, and they want instant audience. So they are more and more turning to crap. GO! seems to rearrange it's schedule every week. They complain shows like Gossip Girl and Chuck don't rate that well, when they are showing things avaliable on DVD and have been shown on foxtel.


      I find Modern Family on Channel 10 a curious one. They are steaming through episodes now 2 a week in an effort to catch up to be able to fast track the new season when it starts in a few weeks. That is good! I understand networks don't like taking chances on new series by fast tracking right a way, but once a hit, don't try and jibb the audience.
    1. Ruze's Avatar
      Ruze -
      i dont think they are allowed to show the kingswood country anymore, mainly cause the catch phrase "someome should blow up **whatever is pissing off ted**!" cannot be said anymore. Stupid political correctness, moral police and nanny state bullshit.
    1. Aardvark's Avatar
      Aardvark -
      How about they stop canceling things because they are offensive and start canceling things because they are shit.
    1. Marchpig's Avatar
      Marchpig -
      Quote Originally Posted by Aardvark View Post
      People still watch tv? I can understand if you were some country bumpkin who can only get internet via messenger pidgeon, but the majority of the populace either have or can get decent internet and should be downloading. Yeah, it screws the local content producers, but fuck 'em. Serves 'em right for making boring shit.
      I sit down to one full night of free to air tv/week, Wednesday night on ABC is passable, Top Gear on WIN and Rockwiz on SBS, plus the occasional gem hidden late night on SBS, that's about it.
      Quote Originally Posted by carsinogenic View Post
      i dont think they are allowed to show the kingswood country anymore, mainly cause the catch phrase "someome should blow up **whatever is pissing off ted**!" cannot be said anymore. Stupid political correctness, moral police and nanny state bullshit.
      but not "Bloody wog" or "Stinking Catholics"?


      Hogan's Heroes
      M*A*S*H
      Daria
      Catweazel

      bring those back for ad nauseum repeats please.