In Vertical
Vision: Deregulation, Industrial Economy and Prime-time Design, Jennifer
Holt discusses the political and economical contexts of the television industry
that set a programming standard, leading to the conglomerate format we see
today. Hold organizes her article in a chronological compilation of regulations
towards the entertainment industry, which she sees as a consequence of “political
philosophy behind broadcast regulation over the last twenty years” (10). Most
relevant of them all, the Financial Interest and Syndication (Fin Syn) Rules
had the largest impact over the organization of the entertainment industry. As
a move to favor the free market, based on free competition, these regulations
installed by the FCC forced studios and networks to merge, in order to afford
cost of production and distribution.
One of the aspects raised by
Holt that stood up to me in her analysis was the concept of ‘must see TV’. A
product of synergy between big companies of the entertainment business,
television became a refined production, based on specific demographics, and
capable of expanding to a global audience. Studios today are destining their
budget to open out their shows to a broader market, which could only be
possible through partnership with different companies within the industry.
Taking Sony Television, for example, a studio independent from distribution
networks, their current investments are focused on hiring ‘premium writers’,
the key to producing ‘premium content’. These huge, popular productions inform
the change in television industry referred by Holt. In the new, contemporary
sense of ‘must see TV’, the distribution channel becomes secondary and artist
name speaks up. When multiple options for watching television take over our
screens (cable, home video, pay-per-view, online streaming, etc.), the viewer
is no longer worried about the channel through which is accessing that episode.
Once unavailability is no longer an obstacle, the choice for a television
series is then conducted by its content and quality.
The so-called ‘straight-to-series’
form of production, the kind that skips the pilot format and go straight to
series development, is an alignment with this movement towards valorization of
the artist’s work. Based on independent productions, this form of development
can be seen in Netflix Originals – which aren’t really produced by Netflix, but
by hired studios, since Netflix is exclusively a distribution platform.
The way Jennifer Holt
understands the structure of the television industry as determinant of
programming is an interesting perspective that many times ends up forgotten
when analyzing TV shows and their contents.
I wonder how "must see TV" will change in the changing landscape of digital television. I'm not sure that the "premium content is king" strategy will ultimately prevail. For instance, Netflix is currently investing in producing its own original content rather then licensing their content from other studios. This is a real gamble because original content is expensive to produce. However, as Netflix expands globally, it is in their interest for them to own the global licensing rights of their content. If this move succeeds, I am not sure that Netflix will continue to compete for truly premium content, as it might make more fiscal sense for them to produce cheaper, less complex shows which can be easily exported. If other distributers follow Netflix's lead, it is not clear that the artist will remain at the fore of digital television.
ReplyDeleteInfo on Netflix's original content strategy- http://finance.yahoo.com/news/netflix-original-content-strategy-130830155.html
With how tuned into social media television programs have become, my inkling is that “must see TV” now refers less to the episode/viewing event itself and more to the conversations that occur (simultaneously or afterwards) on the Internet. “Must see TV,” as a concept, preys on the feeling of being left out of an experience, and somehow it seems less socially debilitating to lack awareness of a program/viewing experience than to be ignorant of the major jokes and memes that emerged from it.
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