Television: News & Advertising different countries

I've lived in the USA for around 9 months now (time flies!), prior to that was a little over 4 years in Australia and then prior to that many years in the UK. One item I've noticed is how different the television is in each country. Not so much the TV shows as with satellite/cable many shows are syndicated internationally now on one of the many hundreds of channels available to the user, it is more the news shows and the adverts that are different.

Before I provide my perspective I should say that I'm not a TV addict, and I likely watch 5-10 hours a week maximum and more typically the lower number of hours. My two favourite shows at present are NCIS (the original show rather than LA) and also House; although the only show I will actively adjust my schedule to try and watch is NCIS. In the past I've liked JAG and a few other shows however my usual preference is historical and nature shows on the Discovery, History or Nat Geo channels together with some Science Fiction/Fantasy on SciFi channel (why did they rename it to SyFy I just don't understand!). MythBusters is also amusing if it happens to be on. The main time I watch TV is when I am gymming, although with my move to P90x the TV is now in use with Tony Horton showing me my moves, hence I'm watching less TV at present.

News

My preference for TV news shows goes 1) UK 2) Australia 3) USA. Now within each country the quality varies and I find that the BBC News (International or Domestic) is usually the better one. The main difference I see betweek the standard UK News and the USA News is the level of dramatisation and lack of factual information that comes across in the USA News.

Once again it will vary by which news channel in the USA you are watching but they seem to be able to spin a story out for an hour or more on TV with very little substance and little real factual information. I'm unsure why this is, maybe it is the demographics they are reaching in the country, I do however find that I rarely watch the news shows now that I'm living in the USA, however in the past I would watch news more often. In the office we have a TV with the news on all day that I see when I go for a beverage.

In terms of keeping up to date on the News via the Internet. I've not found a USA news website that I like - so if you have a favourite then please post it as a comment. I still go to news.bbc.co.uk for my daily news although they've just undertaken a major refresh of the user interface that is taking a little bit of getting used to. As I have family in Australia I also check http://www.news.com.au/ on a regular basis.

Advertising

In terms of frequency of adverts when watching TV then the UK has the least number of adverts per hour and the USA the most, at least that is how it feels. I'm sure there are some stats out there which will validate or refute this however that is my observation. Also in the UK the BBC channels have no adverts at all which may have skewed my perception a little.

In terms of content of the adverts, then this is where there is the most significant difference! I'd characterise the USA adverts as have a large percent of the time being on one of three categories.

1. Fast Food - just so many different fast food companies advertising junk food it is unbelievable and perhaps explains some of the obesity challenges the country is having. It is not just the company but the type and content of the advert and how cheap the meal deals are that is a continual shock.
2. Drugs/medication - there is a lot of advertising based on drugs to help cure you of almost any perceived illness! In addition the adverts may run for 60-120 seconds however it is 30 seconds on the product and then 30-90 seconds on its potential side effects, disclaimers and caveats! Things may have changed in the UK/Australia however I do not recall the adverts being quite like this and it almost seems that the drug manufacturers in the USA are so fearful of being sued that they have to take this approach rather than assume that people will read the instructions and warnings that come with the medication.
3. Lawyers/litigation - the adverts are very tailored to specific circumstances, illnesses, issues and there are many of them. Maybe this is related to 2) above however it does ecsaserbate the perception that the USA is a country that taked sueing and litigation to the extreme.

One of my favourite recent UK adverts is one asking people to use their seatbelts and titled 'Embrace Life'. It is well put together, makes a very strong message to me without the need for blood and gore. I like it... and yes I do wear a seat belt!

Direct link to website video: Embrace Life
Link to YouTube version: Embrace Life

It is easy to come to arrive at a different country and find the differences from what you are used to as positives and negatives. The USA is a great country, a varied country and one that presents significant opportunity. I would say however that there are some perceptions to a newcomer that are difficult to overlook such as the obesity, health and litigation culture that exists. I believe the above perspectives are related to this and it is one of the aspects of the USA that I feel is holding it back from progressing to the next level.

It is also true that people are typically more comfortable with what they've been brought up with and hence I will have a subconscious disposition to the UK television and culture. Maybe this is true and the reason for my perspective. It is difficult to really judge. I would say that if the American public disliked the television they were seeing then it would probably be known and the TV channels and advertising agencies would change their programs so I'll conclude that the public are happy with what they are watching.

Some more information can be found on Wikipedia - Television advertisement