Why the hell are you still watching TV?

BEFORE YOU PRESS PLAY

What is discussed

AskMonty AI editorial noteSource consulted: 2026-09-25

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.