ONE EPISODE, A STARTING POINT

Why the hell are you still watching TV?

14:02Marco Montemagno · podcast RSS

Montemagno challenges the idea that the internet has killed television, separating the decline of scheduled broadcasting from the continued appeal of the screen, now also used for YouTube and streaming. He argues that the convenience of a remote control and major shared events retain social and commercial value. Television, however, has lost its position as an unquestioned authority, competing with many other content producers and adapting to its audience’s language. Interviews, clips, articles and posts circulate across platforms, while podcasts often borrow television formats. He concludes that network executives have been replaced as gatekeepers by algorithms: more people can express themselves, but intermediaries still hold power. In his account, television has changed its home and form rather than disappeared.

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What is discussed

AskMonty AI editorial noteSource consulted:

Montemagno challenges the idea that the internet has killed television, separating the decline of scheduled broadcasting from the continued appeal of the screen, now also used for YouTube and streaming. He argues that the convenience of a remote control and major shared events retain social and commercial value. Television, however, has lost its position as an unquestioned authority, competing with many other content producers and adapting to its audience’s language. Interviews, clips, articles and posts circulate across platforms, while podcasts often borrow television formats. He concludes that network executives have been replaced as gatekeepers by algorithms: more people can express themselves, but intermediaries still hold power. In his account, television has changed its home and form rather than disappeared.

Key points

  • Separate the schedule from the screen: declining linear TV does not mean people have stopped watching content on television sets.
  • Ease of use removes obstacles. Montemagno connects the convenience of TV and radio with the value of products that require little effort.
  • Events such as Sanremo, the World Cup and the Olympics bring fragmented audiences together and, in his view, offer valuable opportunities to advertisers.
  • TV competes with many other creators and has changed its language. Montemagno interprets this shift as a loss of its former educational authority.
  • One piece of content can become a video, clips, articles and posts. Meanwhile, studio podcasts with guests borrow television formats.
  • The promise of removing intermediaries remains incomplete: platform algorithms filter visibility, despite allowing more individual expression.
  • His closing metaphor is that television has moved house. Using different platforms does not necessarily remove television habits and formats.
Open the source: Perché caxxo guardi ancora la TV?

Words to decode

Full dictionary

3glossary expressions documented here

Each expression counts once per item, even when repeated. The overall ranking covers the reviewed portion of the archive.

Open a symbol to discover its meaning. Checked against the source material. View source

Belin!

A Ligurian exclamation with a vulgar origin, used to add surprise, emphasis or exasperation.

Across the reviewed archive: 77 items
#4 in the ranking

Dictionary entry
Ping-pong / table tennis

A reference to his background: Marco says he played table tennis professionally when he was younger. This explains his mentions of paddles and his sporting experience.

Across the reviewed archive: 173 items
#1 in the ranking

Dictionary entry
Shall we begin?

His English cue to move from the introduction to the main topic or demonstration.

Across the reviewed archive: 26 items
#9 in the ranking

Dictionary entry

SWITCH GEARS. GET CURIOUS.

Reality has a sense of humour.

30 seconds. A different perspective.