Eric Flint's 1632 Universe might becoming to a TV near you!

The other advantages the beeb will usually bring to there shows are:-

Usually good but little known actors (so we don't get the "Starring "X", in a completely unsuitable role")

And when its an hour long show is actually an hour, not 40 mins plus adverts (And when I've visited the states I've noticed its even worse on american TV I don't know how you guys stand it)

Emo Otaku wrote: (Snipped out)

And when its an hour long show is actually an hour, not 40 mins plus adverts (And when I've visited the states I've noticed its even worse on american TV I don't know how you guys stand it)

Hopefully without getting preachy:

It is because unlike the BBC which is owned by the British Government, and the whole population has to pay a tax to watch TV, in the US the shows are broadcast for free and the broadcasters only need to get a licence to use the frequency. Anyone in the broadcast radius can watch free of charge and to make up the difference in money is why there are all those adverts.

You prefer Government run, Tax paid TV; we prefer Free broadcast and watch the ads if you want TV (or take a piss, grab a drink or even discuss things with other viewers in the room and ignore the ads) with the option of paying for a private service (Cable, Satellite, etc) to get more options or to watch stations out of the broadcast area.

Emo Otaku wrote:The other advantages the beeb will usually bring to there shows are:-

Usually good but little known actors (so we don't get the "Starring "X", in a completely unsuitable role")

And when its an hour long show is actually an hour, not 40 mins plus adverts (And when I've visited the states I've noticed its even worse on american TV I don't know how you guys stand it)

Other than a couple of shows I really love, I watch the "beeb" on my local PBS station.

We (as does the UK) have both government run and free to air commercial stations. Using a PVR (Personal digital Video Recorder) to facilitate viewing means that snack or toilet breaks can be taken with either, even when watching in real time.

We watch shows from all over the world, but the UK stuff is generally much better made than the rest.
As to length of programs, a recent good (rare event) local drama series had 35 minutes of actual content in an hour, when commercial breaks, prologues and title pages were taken out.
Our government stations (ABC 1,2&3 & News channel plus SBS 1,2,3) are funded out of general revenue. Used to be a licence but it cost more to collect & try to get us to pay than it took in.
We also naturally have Pay TV like Foxtel, but many Australians find that free internet streaming (piracy) is more fun.

boballab wrote:

Emo Otaku wrote: (Snipped out)

And when its an hour long show is actually an hour, not 40 mins plus adverts (And when I've visited the states I've noticed its even worse on american TV I don't know how you guys stand it)

Hopefully without getting preachy:

It is because unlike the BBC which is owned by the British Government, and the whole population has to pay a tax to watch TV, in the US the shows are broadcast for free and the broadcasters only need to get a licence to use the frequency. Anyone in the broadcast radius can watch free of charge and to make up the difference in money is why there are all those adverts.

You prefer Government run, Tax paid TV; we prefer Free broadcast and watch the ads if you want TV (or take a piss, grab a drink or even discuss things with other viewers in the room and ignore the ads) with the option of paying for a private service (Cable, Satellite, etc) to get more options or to watch stations out of the broadcast area.