Read the article again. Then, try to complete the sentences without referring back to the article

MODULE 6

Topic 14. The continuing popularity of television. The era of reality shows.

TV FUN

The continuing popularity of television

1. Look at the names of the TV shows. Which ones do you like? Which ones have you watched? Discuss your ideas with a partner.

House M.D.

The Sopranos

The Tudors

Boardwalk Empire

CSI: Miami

The Simpsons

Rome

Downtown Abbey

Criminal Minds

Band of Brothers

The Borgias

2. Do you think TV is more or less popular than it was in the past? What types of programmes are people watching these days? Think. Then, discuss the issues with a partner. After this, read the article once to compare your ideas.

For years, experts have been predicting that people will watch less and less TV. However, recent research shows that it's actually more popular than it was ten years ago But. Why?

Some of the facts are truly surprising. They show that American teenagers actuary watch 5% more TV now than they did five years ago. Also surprising is the fact that US adults watch far mere online video man their teenage children. Teenagers spend about three hours a month watching online TV compared to the five and a half hairs spent by young adults (18 to 24-year-olds).

Interestingly, Americans are using their televisions to watch live TV rather than DVDs or online programming. In fact, 92% of American TV viewing is for live programmes (particularly news shows). While 32% of US homes own a DVD recorder, only about half of them use it to record programmes.

There were some interesting results on advertising, too. They found that teenagers are 31% less likely to remember an ad than an adult. However, teenagers appear to like advertising more. In fact, once an ad has caught their attention, they're 44% more likely to remember it than an older person.

So, now much television are they watching? American teenagers, sit in front of the TV for about three hours and 20 minutes a day, which is quite a lot but less than their equivalents in Italy, Poland. Lebanon, Ireland, Indonesia and Venezuela... and considerably less than the world's leading teen couch potatoes: the South Africans, who spend over five hews a day in front of the box!

And what are people watching on TV? Research suggests that teenagers and adults like a lot of the same shows, which include dramas such as House, and talent contest shows such as American idol. However, teenagers don't watch as much sport or current affairs programmes (such as the news) as their parents,

Over in the UK, the most popular shows include Britain Got Talent and The X Factor. In fact, the final of The X Factor attracted the most viewers for a single show in 2010; with over 17 million on people watching it. Reality shows such as I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here are often in the top 10, as are dramas such as the long-running soap operas EastEnders and Coronation Street. Finally, sport pulls in a big crowd. Apparently, 17 million people watched England get beaten by Germany in the 2010 World Cup. More than those who watched the final!

So, it looks as if the future of television is safe. However, although there are more channels than aver, the question remains: why is it so hard to find anything worth watching?

Read the article again. Then, try to complete the sentences without referring back to the article.

1. American teenagers are watching more TV than they did _______ years ago.

2. Americans prefer to watch ________ TV rather than online programming.

3. Teenagers are ______ likely to remember an ad.

4. American teenagers watch about ______ hours of TV a day.

5. The people who watch the most TV are the ________.

6. __________ shows are often in the list of the top 10 most popular programmes.

4. Language focus.The Present Continuous.

Look at the extract from the article on this page, “...Americans are using their television to watch…” The writer has used the Present Continuous to talk about a current tend. Complete the following sentence beginnings with your own ideas.

1. I’m working on … this week.

2. I’m thinking about going to … this weekend.

3. I’m hoping to finish … sometime today.

4. The rate of unemployment is…