It can be so easy for people to plop themselves down on a couch or chair to sit and watch cable television for hours on end. While that is fine to a certain extent, it is not going to get your guests engaged with each other at all!
You should consider taking the television out of your living room, or hiding it behind a closed cabinet, and replacing it with a record player. As your guests listen to music, they may engage in exciting music discussions or they may simply use the music as a backdrop to other lively conversations about what they did that day or their plans for the rest of their week.