The study of the cultural effects of television is inseparable the study of cultural habits related to age, gender, and other basic parameters of the audience. Rapid technological changes in TV broadcasting lead to reconfiguration of audience and reflective attitude of the viewers to their own TV habits. Contrary to expectations, such changes, however, do not necessarily imply bringing younger audience or attraction of youth with technological innovations of television, but rather the audience remains loyal and “ages” along with the channels and programs. The article aims to explain why the viewers of major federal channels are of pre-retirement and retirement age, as well as why the number of young viewers decreases with each year, where do they go, and what do they watch. The subject of this research is the specificity of cultural habits with regards to Russian television. Research methodology employs statistical data analysis, building a functional model of media in culture, interpretation of cultural patterns of behavior and habits. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that the Russian television is examines from the perspective of correlation between technological innovations and habits of perception for the first time; this allows clarifying the sociocultural characteristics of the viewer in their dynamics, and cultural contexts of functionality of Russian TV as media. The conducted research has proven different structure of TV habits among different socio-demographic strata of the Russian audience. Within the framework this research, the author was able to determine socio-demographic groups with similar TV habits, as well as reflect the socio-demographic differentiation of the Russian TV audience.