Along with a sizable proportion of TV viewers these days, I suspect, I often timeshift my viewing to suit my busy (ahem..) lifestyle.
But this brings with it some problems. The most common of these is aversionitis. This is a condition whereby I have to avoid all news reports on television, radio and newspapers; it also involves acting strangely in front of friends by sticking your fingers into your ears and humming 'lalalalal' as soon as you hear them say 'did you see yesterday's game', less they give the result away. Half the time I fail, and my enjoyment of the timeshifted sports event is ruined. Indeed, I often don't bother watching at all if I know the outcome.
The Olympics are a minefield in this respect. Titles like 'Briton wins gold' totally spoil my enjoyment of the excellent VoD service the BBC have going on their website. I read the headline and click away... I wish operators of internet TV catch up services would learn from programme makers - even a user interface demands narrative, and suspense is everything.
But this brings with it some problems. The most common of these is aversionitis. This is a condition whereby I have to avoid all news reports on television, radio and newspapers; it also involves acting strangely in front of friends by sticking your fingers into your ears and humming 'lalalalal' as soon as you hear them say 'did you see yesterday's game', less they give the result away. Half the time I fail, and my enjoyment of the timeshifted sports event is ruined. Indeed, I often don't bother watching at all if I know the outcome.
The Olympics are a minefield in this respect. Titles like 'Briton wins gold' totally spoil my enjoyment of the excellent VoD service the BBC have going on their website. I read the headline and click away... I wish operators of internet TV catch up services would learn from programme makers - even a user interface demands narrative, and suspense is everything.
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