As much as I would love this option, it isn't one. There was a time about 8 or so years ago where we didn't have cable after a move and didn't ever watch DVDs- we hardly turned on the TV at all. It was a good time in our marriage. Sadly, our situation has changed.

With my wife's back troubles, TV is really the only option for her when waiting for medication to take effect. The pain makes focusing on reading difficult, so there really isn't much to do in bed except watch TV. This is a situation she finds herself in 3 times a day (on most days) for about an hour each time, and more on days where the pain keeps her in bed longer. Unfortunately, this isn't something that will ever improve save medical advances that will allow her to someday replace the parts of her back that are causing this pain.

In fact, this was the entire justification for buying the first Apple TV- it allows her to watch any movie we own without having to get up out of bed and switch discs. I'm certain you can see the benefits there.

The reason we don't watch any live events is that I more or less could do without TV- I don't watch sports, and TV is mostly about watching stuff with my wife because that's the past time she can enjoy the most. For a while we tried playing WoW together, but even computer games become difficult to focus on when her pain level is high.