TV shows online: All the Stats, Facts, and Data You'll Ever Need to Know

The days of the television could be numbered. Statistics show that people are spending more and more time in front of their computers, which will soon replace the trusty TV as the nation's number one form of entertainment.

While the potential of web video has always been apparent, but it not until recently that it has begun to match more traditional visual entertainment in terms of quality.

And the fact that computers offer so much more are making them an increasingly popular way to watch TV shows. Instead of waiting with bated breath for the next episode of your favorite series, or ruing the loss of an episode missed, you can have it all on demand at the internet.

The mention of watching TV shows, tv shows online and movies on the internet still can still have some connotations of shady practices such as torrenting pirated material and poor quality products. However, that is changing fast and internet TV is hitting the mainstream.

With fast connection speeds and technologies such as DivX you can watch high quality television and you can do it with a clear conscience.

Television networks have come to recognize the potential of the internet as a medium for broadcasting television shows. Networks like NBC, ABC and CBS allow you to stream TV shows if you have missed them on television. They are often posted on websites about one day after it airs on TV.

This is ideal if you miss an episode as you can go back and watch it any time. However, these streams are extremely popular and you may experience bad lag while attempting to stream the show if it aired recently. Shows usually stay online for about a week and are only available to United States residents.

Another option is Peer to Peer TV (P2PTV). The emergence of websites such as joost.com has made these a popular option for watching TV online. You will normally have to download a special client to watch these as the technology is similar to torrenting. Unlike torrenting the content is streamed, and not downloaded onto your hard drive so you may experience some lag at peak times.

It is now also possible to stream live television as it happens. Like P2PTV you need a client to do this and because it is live, shows are not available on demand. These services are especially popular for live music and sports events.

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