Saturday night television was once the crown jewel of entertainment, bringing families together in front of the small screen. In the early 2000s and 2010s, British audiences were spoilt for choice. Flicking between BBC One for Doctor Who and Strictly Come Dancing and ITV One to get a glimpse of The X Factor.  David Smith writes for The Guardian in 2008, that “BBC1 and ITV1 have reasserted themselves on Saturday nights, sometimes achieving an audience share of nearly 70 per cent.” For many, Saturday nights were a ritual – a reason to bring families together and share the couch. Millions tuned in simultaneously to witness shared moments, in return gaining topics for small talk for the upcoming week.

However, the dominance of Saturday night TV has significantly declined in recent years. One explanation lies in the stagnation of formats. Shows like The X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing—both nearing two decades old—have struggled to maintain their initial spark. Audiences increasingly view these programs as repetitive, no longer capturing the excitement of their earlier seasons.

An alternative reason for this shift, however, stems from the rise of internet-distributed television. As highlighted by Lotz, a key distinction between traditional and internet-distributed TV is the elimination of time-specific viewing. Streaming services such as Netflix, YouTube, and Disney+ have redefined the logistics of watching television, freeing audiences from the rigid schedules dictated by networks. Instead of being tied to Saturday nights, viewers can now choose what to watch, when to watch it, and on which device. This flexibility has dismantled many conventions of traditional TV and given way to personalised and on-demand consumption. Saturday night television, once a unifying cultural force, now competes with a fragmented digital landscape that prioritises individual choice over communal moments.

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Bibliography

Lotz, A.D., 2017. Chapter 1: Theorizing the Nonlinear Distinction of Internet-Distributed Television. In: Portals: A Treatise on Internet-Distributed Television. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

Smith, D., 2008. Saturday night television: A golden era or a bygone tradition? The Guardian, 21 September. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/sep/21/television.television