Jon Stewart Corrects ‘Daily Show’ Viewer Who Claims ‘TV Is Dying’ and People Use Social Media to Watch Entertainment: ‘Is That True?’

variety.com:

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Is television dying? It’s a claim Jon Stewart pushed back on during his return to Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.” Taking pre-show questions from the audience, Stewart was confronted with one viewer who asked about TV in the age of social media. “What do you think about young people getting all of their information and entertainment from social media?” the audience member asked before outright claiming: “TV is dying!” “Is that true?” Stewart answered back. “You still watch TV but you just watch it on your computer [or phone].You understand that’s still TV?

You’re just watching it on a different delivery service.” “It’s like, heroin is heroin whether you snort it or shoot it,” Stewart continued. “It’s still an opiate for the masses as is television, you’re just getting it in smaller bites.

But it’s still TV. We make it.” Stewart hosted “The Daily Show” from 1999 to 2015 and recently returned to the flagship series as the host of Monday night episodes through the 2024 election cycle.

His return has been a ratings blockbuster for Comedy Central. As Variety reported, the Stewart-hosted Feb. 19 episode of “The Daily Show” earned the highest viewership the show has seen on its home network since Stewart’s final episode in 2015.