I have been called many things in my life; never, though, an urban myth. But that is what Alan Wurtzel, president of research at NBC Universal, suggested when I told him I got rid of my television set last year and started watching “30 Rock” and “CSI” on my laptop instead.
“I hear about people like you,” he said, a hint of skepticism in his voice. Then he hissed what sounded vaguely like an insult.
“You probably read.”
Well, yes, I do. But just because I don’t have a television set, doesn’t mean I don’t crave “Gossip Girl.”
It’s just that I don’t have a large television in my living room and a monthly payment to make to my cable company. I don’t need one: The major American networks and many other broadcasters have made it easy to find their shows free online.
Most Americans still primarily watch shows on their television sets. I’ll concede that point to Wurtzel. But there is much to suggest that watching shows online is more than just passing fancy.
The Internet has proved to be an excellent promotional vehicle. NBC says 7 out of 10 viewers were spurred to watch some shows on television only after sampling them first online. At ABC, 8 percent of viewers they track — or about one out of every 12 people — watch network shows solely online.
My friend Louise uses a projector hooked up to her laptop to watch “Lost” on a white wall in her living room. My 24-year-old niece never owned a television set until I gave her mine. Now she uses it for DVDs and to watch “America’s Next Top Model” online.
And it’s not just for kids. A 40-something executive I know watched the last presidential debate between John McCain and Barack Obama on his home computer.
The funny thing is, despite…