Saturday, March 12, 2011

The New Direction of Television - Current TV

Television sure has been on the path to reinventing itself lately. The truly savvy channels know the being cutting edge has to do with more than just offering special features on satellite TV. The brave new world of television 2.0 involves an integration with the internet, and the channels that are going to rise above and beyond the hundreds of other new options that pop up each year know how to play this to their advantage in a way that older channels haven't quite figured out.
After all, more and more intellectual and hipster households are begrudgingly deciding to add a television set, making the claim that it's possible to watch smart and intelligent television.

 This is most definitely the case, but just a few years ago, the only shows that these intellectuals could claim to enjoy were a select few political satires on Comedy Central and of course the odd cerebral HBO series. Now, however, there's a new generation of intelligent young people, ranging from teenage years to their thirties, and this set is unashamed of their television use, but still interested in something smarter that plays to their intelligence.
Available on all the major providers, from cable to satellite TV, Current TV is changing the way that television works. A young station in its formative years, Current understands the relationship between television and the internet, and thus offers most of its programming for free on its website. However, television is best experienced on a TV set at some point, and Current also knows that many older viewers are not going to sit down and stream a show. So they are managing to pull audience members from all sides of the equation.
A typical day in Current TV programming involves a news and culture oriented show that puts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert to shame with its ability to get laughs. From the skit "Target: Women" that harangues advertising designed to scare women to the always hilarious "That's Gay!" which is quick to point out all of the cultural shortcomings in depictions of gay people, whether it's in commercials, on reality TV shows where housewives have gay best friends, or in the news. Current is willing to be hip, witty, and edgy where few other programs are, but this new and fresh take on satire and political commentary somehow feels of a new and more exciting generation than pre-existing programming that does somewhat the same thing.
Current TV is also special for allowing its viewers to partially determine the content. Viewers of the programming and users of the site can actually take place in providing and choosing the programming, and the station bills itself as the first 24-hour network in all of America that is based around content created by viewers. These programs are voted on by users, and then the best of the best finally make it to actual television. Some programs are collaborations between pre-existing entities, like film rating web sites, and the station itself.
The next time you want to feel as though you are truly on the cutting edge of what satellite TV has to offer, start by taking a look at Current TV. It truly is television as television has never been done before.
Watching Current TV on your television is simple, thanks to direc TV. Directv brings Current into living rooms around the country, and with DirecTV Packages, it's possible to make sure that not just Current, but other snarky channels, are yours for the taking whenever you want 'em.

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