Where do you get your entertainment?

Going from the most to the least prominent location for movies and television shows, cable TV has been on the outs for a while. Investopedia reports that in 2013 cable TV began losing ratings at a rate of 10 percent. Between Disney Plus, Netflix, Paramount, Amazon Prime, HBO and Hulu, cable has never had to compete so hard for viewers. Least of all did they expect TikTok.

Piracy is a major issue, “In fact, streaming accounts for 80% of piracy in the U.S. The Impacts of Digital Piracy on the U.S. Economy report by the Global Innovation Policy Center estimates ‘that global online policy costs the U.S. economy at least $29.2 billion in lost revenue each year.’” Most of that is on streaming sites or services, not TikTok.

TikTok has a unique compatibility with all different kinds of content, one specific niche on TikTok would be that of TV shows. From fandom accounts to trending TV show-based sounds, there is TV show content everywhere. Often containing numerous parts, accounts like @friendsssfanpage will extensively post clips of the “Friends” TV show in order. Often up to nearly 20 TikToks in a row – recreating the perception of watching it on cable, minus the commercial breaks.

This dilemma is not exclusive to cable. A collection of TV shows that are often featured on TikTok are “Friends,” “That 70’s Show,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and “Euphoria.” In particular, “Friends” has its own verified account that posts clips and surprisingly, hardly promotes the show inviting viewers to take a kind of action.

There are also numerous fan accounts that post clips that are technically pirated. The law, however, cannot keep up with the speed of the internet and does not yet view social media as a capable avenue for pirating.

Cable is not dying – it’s on TikTok.

https://www.tiktok.com/@friendsssfanpage/video/7075097520677932293