Students Get More Free Time Because of Less Free TV

It appears Columbia students may just have a bit more time on their hands. Although you may be quick to assume these newfound minutes are related to the end of the midterm week, this time is actually a result of the demise of a campus favorite Web site: TV-Links. For those who somehow managed to miss this college phenomenon, TV-Links was a UK-based server which posted external links to television shows and popular movies. From that childhood favorite Boy Meets World to the short-lived ABC drama Life As We Know It, and even current hits such as Gossip Girl, TV-Links offered quite the range of programs and a great opportunity for hours of procrastination.

A convenient means to watch shows between classes and studying, many Columbia students reacted with disappointment to the news. “I was shocked to see that it was shut down, mainly because the site itself did not host any of the TV shows or movies,” said Nishant Batsha, CC ’10. “Since I’m usually busy when my favorite shows are on, I counted on TV-Links for links to those shows without commercials.” A great deal of discussion surrounds the legality of TV-Links as these sites do not host the programs but only links to various other Web sites. “It’s infuriating. It was expected to happen eventually, but it was still harsh,” said Nate Nagy, CC ’10, about the fate of the Web site.

In the past year, following the explosive growth of unauthorized online programming, many networks have begun to place prime-time shows on their own Web sites—including major channels such as NBC, ABC, CW, and MTV. Unfortunately, some students find the alternative less attractive. According to Batsha, “Although NBC (and other channels) offers their shows online, they’re usually filled with annoying 30-second clips of the same commercial, repeated seven or eight times through any episode.” In addition, many of the networks’ programming is limited—by both show selection and the number of available episodes. “While networks offer higher quality video, TV-Links and similar sites have more options,” said Rick Fudge, CC ’10.

The fall of TV-Links will not end the practice of unauthorized online programming, as many other sites are available for the avid television fan. As one of the first—and some will say best—servers, the fate of TV-Links has raised questions about how college students should satisfy their television cravings. With the extra time left from the demise of TV-Links, many Columbia students may just be looking for a new site on which they can spend their extra hours reminiscing over a childhood classic or catching up on the week’s new episodes.