For many of us these days, “watching TV” seems more or less synonymous with “watching Netflix,” and now, survey results indicate that streaming may well be the way of the future. A new study from AllFlicks suggests that a whopping 76 percent of Netflix subscribers believe that the company will replace traditional television altogether, because why flip through channels when you can just binge watch your favorite show for hours on end?
To be fair, the survey participants were likely a bit biased, considering those questioned were already Netflix users. Still, these results somewhat confirm worries among traditional television providers about their services’ declining popularity. And considering that Netflix has suggested that it’s less concerned about cable providers than other streaming services like Amazon Video and Hulu, could it really be that the TV of our childhood is on its way out?
For those who said that television would not, in fact, be rendered obsolete by Netflix and other streaming services, many cited live sporting events as their rationale. “I’ll be done with regular cable the day [Netflix] starts streaming live sports,” one respondent wrote. Another sticking point for the 24 percent who retain faith in traditional cable was news coverage — after all, what would office break rooms be without the constant drone of CNN, FNC, or MSNBC?
While the majority of Netflix subscribers don’t seem all too optimistic about the future of TV, the same was not true when it came to the truly big screens — movie theaters. As Cordcutting.com reported, “When asked if they thought Netflix could replace theaters, nearly 68 percent [of subscribers] said ‘no.'” Apparently, there’s something about going to the movies that is just a little bit better than watching Netflix while chilling on your couch. One respondent put it best, saying, “The theater is still magical. Ya know?”
According to this survey, however, traditional television isn’t.
