Television has definitely evolved throughout the past couple of years, and it continues to keep changing.
A decade ago, most shows were non-sequential, meaning that you did not have to watch the previous episodes to understand the next, but now with online streaming and the increase in DVD purchases, it does not take much dedication to watch any show in the order it was meant to be viewed.
This has caused a drastic change in media. Television shows have the ability to create stronger overall plots and character development in each of their seasons now. This, in turn, has caused a drastic invasion in the movie business’ territory.
Television has a better capacity to get people hooked than films do. First of all, shows are significantly shorter, so it is easier to find time to watch them, and it is hard for most people to spare two hours on any given day to watch an entire movie. Once people actually start watching a television show they usually prefer it to movies because people like the familiar characters and already have an expectation of how good the show is.
Television also has the ability to end in cliffhangers, which is pretty much an advertisement for itself. Because of this, companies now have to change the way they approach movies.
Most of the money that movies make is from theaters, so to generate more revenue, they need to increase viewership at the cinema by changing the cinematic experience. To do this, they create more big-budget films that they expect people to watch in theaters instead of at home.
Movies also take advantage of techniques they have that television doesn’t.
Movie companies work hard on creating better viewing technology to create a better viewing experience. Most theaters now have 3D, IMAX or UltraScreen to make people want to see films in better quality and a more invigorating environment. Films can also afford better animation than TV shows. This puts a limit on the capabilities of shows that want to add more elements, such as magic or monsters.
Movies and television alike have changed in recent history. It’s almost as if they are in a game of tug-of-war, constantly competing but learning from each other.
No one can really tell what the future will hold, but you can bet innovation will certainly continue.
Abdalah El-Barrad is a freshman studying economics and a columnist for The Post. How do you think TV has affected cinema? Email him at
ae738513@ohiou.edu.
