channel surfing

Switching from one television station (channel) to another frequently, either to search for an interesting program or to keep track of several programs at once. For example, �� did you see on TV last night?—Nothing much; I was just channel surfing. The term transfers the surfer's search for good waves to the viewer's search for programs. This practice became widespread with the use of remote-control devices for changing channels while remaining seated some distance from the television set. [1980s] A 1990s version is Internet surfing, a similar process for searching cyberspace.

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Example Sentences

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Discovery’s channels have long been mainstays of the television landscape and frequent destinations for viewers during an earlier era of channel surfing.

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If I see myself in a film I did when I am channel surfing, I remember what I was doing that day.

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How a mega contract for CBS announcer Tony Romo in 2020 set in motion a reshuffling of NFL broadcast booths that gives new meaning to channel surfing.

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This season gives new meaning to the term “channel surfing,” as the musical chairs in the booth mean there are new — yet familiar — football voices on Sunday, Monday and Thursday nights.

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Twitch has been fiddling with its monetization formula, offering flat rates to streamers who play a certain amount of ads and a new channel surfing feature, yet concerns remain that the Amazon-owned platform is not paying its creators a fair share of its billions of dollars in revenue.

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channel-surf Channel Tunnel

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