I doubt working class people spent their evenings reading high-brow books. Magazines, cheaper novels, things that don’t demand much mental investment after 8+ hours of work have drained your energy and left a little for chores.

Families that could live on a single income may have had more time, but if that has reduced, it may well because a single income often can’t sustain a whole family any more.

TV didn’t magically create a need for mindless entertainment. It may have supplanted other recreational activities, but it couldn’t replace e.g. meeting up for a drink and a nice chat unless the convenience of it outweighed the loss of social activity.