Most cyclists don't. The indoor trainer is synonymous with extreme boredom. Admittedly, this is a well-earned title. The very first time I used my trainer, the DVD player was on the fritz and did not want to work. I was so geeked to try it out, I just hopped on and started pedaling while staring at a blank TV screen. Within 30 seconds I was drooling on the handlebars in a deep and restful sleep.
Adding something to watch makes a big difference. I have found that a football game is great. It is live and you don't know the outcome ahead of time. Also, you don't have to pay close attention to it in order to watch it. Usually, I have to combine some form of intervals in order to keep from getting bored. Simply pedaling a decent effort for a prolonged period of time will get boring no matter what you do or watch.
The intervals can be anything from short sprints with long rests to 20 minute max efforts with 5 minutes rest between. You can also mix in other forms of exercise (stretching, core work, full body exercises, etc.) just to break things up. Recently, I have been doing 10 minute hard efforts with 2-4 minutes of off the bike exercise in between. I have found I can maintain a good effort for the time on the bike and have a relatively high average speed.
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