Read the text. Match sentences A–F with texts 1–5. There is one extra sentence.

A A television that gets to know you.
B A failure to keep up with technology.
C The importance of price
D Good for those with minority tastes
E Watch your favourite programmes anytime
F Lots of programmes – nothing worth
watching

THE FUTURE OF TELEVISION
1 _____
Television has changed a lot since the days when there were only two or three channels to
choose from. People were happy with that because there was nothing else but, with the
introduction of videos and later, the Internet, television needed to offer something better.
At first, this was done by satellite or cable companies offering hundreds of channels for a
monthly fee. Unfortunately, many of these were poorly made and often more time was spent
changing channels trying to find something interesting to watch than actually watching
something.
2 _____
So, what does the future hold for television? Firstly, more and more people are now buying
smart TVs which are linked to the Internet. This will allow a number of new ideas to be
introduced. One idea is for the television to remember what you have watched and, when
you next switch on, it will tell you about programmes that you might be interested in. We
will also be able to link our televisions to our friends’ televisions and find out what they are
watching so we can watch the same.
3 _____
This idea, though, still assumes that television will work as it does now, with programmes
appearing at a certain time each week. Many companies offer a catch-up service where you
can watch programmes from the previous week that you have missed but do we need to miss
programmes at all? There are now online television providers who allow you to watch what you
like, when you like. You can watch a whole series in one night. This is great for people who
hate waiting to find out what is going to happen next.
4 _____
A big advantage of not having specific times for programmes is that no-one can complain that
‘there’s nothing worth watching this evening’. Just because some of the programmes aren’t
for you, it doesn’t prevent you from watching what you want. This means that television
companies can show programmes for everyone, from popular series to documentaries that
only a handful of people will be interested in. So, there will always be something to watch,
whoever you are.
5 _____
One big problem faced by all television channels is the rise of so many free video channels
on the Internet. Why should people pay to watch television when they can spend their
evenings watching almost anything for free? This means that, if the service is too expensive,
no-one will sign up for it. Of course, if it is too cheap, the company won’t be able to afford
to buy or make enough programmes. It is, perhaps, a bigger problem for television
companies than keeping up with the latest technological advances.