Oh, doesn’t your heart just sink when you read that? Yes, Sky is planning a channel called ‘Sky Real Lives’ which hopes to attract women aged 35 to 54. And guess what those lucky, lucky women get especially for them? Hard hitting drama? Cutting edge comedy? Arts programming? Science programming? Music, history, news? No. No to them all. What women aged 35 to 54 really want is human interest. That’s what they want. That’s all they want, and that’s all they’re gonna get.
Cynical, moi? Well yes, and annoyed, and bored. But I guess the statisticians would say that human interest really is what women of this age do watch, so who am I to complain. On 7th November Sky Travel will cease to be, and Sky Real Lives will take over because, as the new head of the channel has said, “You don’t need a presenter telling you, ‘Here is the Great Wall of China’… People’s expectations have changed.” Yes, I’d much rather watch a documentary called Baby Race than one about one of the greatest architectural feats in human history. (Sorry, that may have been *slightly* sarcastic). Other titles include Dying To Be Apart – about conjoined twins, naturally – and Vain Men. Give me strength… Do women not deserve better? [via MediaGuardian]
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Now I don’t have a problem with a channel for ‘older’ women – I fall in that age bracket, even though I’d never actually thought of myself in those terms…
I’m also at the peak of my earning power, my intellectual prowess, at the top of my career… and I can confirm that human interest is the one thing that makes me turn off the TV fast – it’s television’s lowest common denominator, a visual pablum that requires no thinking, no discernment, no analysis – I believe the only prerequisite is a bowl of popcorn.
That’s too bad – we’re a smart bunch, astute, critical, often powerful, certainly selective – and thank goodness we’ll be able to ‘select’ channels that actually remember we’re capable of thought.
Well said! Thanks for that, I was hoping that my grumble would get a bit of support