As many more consumers of television start watching streaming their shows through the internet on their computers, obviously less people will be watching on their actual televisions. This drop in viewership causes ratings to fall and lower ratings cause cancellations of some of our favorite shows. However, just because people are not watching shows the day they are released on television it does not mean people are not watching the show.

This happens with some shows more than others due to the different age groups the show targets and gets viewers from. The younger adult demographics are more likely to watch shows on the internet due to convenience and ability to navigate technology. This makes it unfair for networks to cut shows that are targeting these audiences, because there are viewers online that enjoy the show.

I realize that networks make their money by charging for advertisements during the time the show airs, and the more viewers the more they can charge. However I believe it would be in the networks best interests to keep track of the online viewers of their shows. I think some networks have started to keep track of online viewership, however many still do not.

As the landscape of television changes, the networks have to keep up with the times. Hopefully, this will save us from the unjust cancellations of great shows such as Arrested Development and Firefly. I realize there are many more problems to be discussed but I would like other people’s opinions on this issue.