Jonathan Glazier, a TV executive and writer who has worked on dozens of shows including the Generation Game and Gladiators, expresses his sadness at the slow disappearance of TV’s shared moments. Especially, he adds, the programmes that capture real people as they puzzle, struggle and laugh their way though life.
“That’s what television is,” he argues, “it’s about the characters that populate this country.
“The more we lose this type of storytelling, the more we become strangers to ourselves.”
However, while TV may be facing a tough challenge, our appetite for video is not dying.
Ed Sayer, for one, is hopeful. “Audiences don’t care about platforms – they care about stories, authenticity, and relevance,” he says. Success will come down to who understands the new landscape best.
“Ultimately,” he says, “YouTube isn’t winning and TV isn’t winning. The audience is.”