Although extensive reading (ER) programs are proven to provide many benefits for students' language development, many students are still encouraged to read by classroom tasks. This research aims to see the possibility of applying a more-liked activity, i.e. extensive viewing, by comparing these two programs. It aims to see what reasons influence students' preferences in choosing the ER or EV program. It involved 120 participants studying English courses at the university level. Data were collected using closed and open-ended questionnaires. The overall results showed a tendency for students to prefer the EV program to the ER program. However, if we look closer, several aspects of ER were still preferred. This research suggests that an EV program can be a good alternative for students with low interest in reading. Several aspects of the EV program, however, need further investigation, such as the ways to decide the leveling system in EV.