FTV 335: Television in the 21st Century

Television now may refer to the discreet units of content rather than the experience of

"watching television" as flow

Different degrees of control over IP and future sales

A move to deficit financing encouraged producers to think about international markets Some genres travel well Some genres offer greater potential for formatting

May receive money from

Advertisers Product Placement Subscriber/Retransmission Fees Audience members

AVOD

Advertising VOD Youtube

Marvel not successful on "traditional" television

Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter

Need to create loyalty

Ancillary merchandise "Emotional branding" Institutionalized fandom Constructed fandom

Netflix

Appealing to the "cultural omnivore"( Something for everyone) Individual programs that have "crossover" appeal Attempting to keep up with quickly changing trends and interests (Constantly changing content Immediate release of all content)

Some new windows want exclusive and global rights

Are willing to pay more and commit to the show Producers may lose ability to exploit their IP in other windows Producers have to make choices, sometimes without a lot of information

Broadcast television

Attempting to adjust to new context Still have "reach" Need to create exclusivity And re-create exclusivity that used to come from windowing Not just about internet but the rise of cable Retransmission fees Live broadcasts Broadcast television retains its reach

Role of Programs

Attract viewers to other networks offering(Must keep shows connected to the network brand) Gain money in ancillary markets (If network has a stake in the show) Try to make the show an everyday part of viewers' lives

Audience/viewership is decreased

Audience is fragmented Results in diminished income from the above sources

DVD

Blockbuster

DC and CW

Both connected to Warner Bros. DC Brand CW Brand Uses Netflix as a "catch up" service

Conglomeration Benefits

Brand equity for new network Helps with MSOs and viewers Helps with weathering problems

Aggregation

Bring together content: legacy or new Deliver content to consumer Provide a "brand" that unifies content and provides a destination for viewers Generally have the most power in this buyer-driven value chain

Curation (Content)

Broad or Narrow Licensed or self-created This could help traditional television companies retain power

"traditional television"

Broadcasters Cable networks (basic and premium) Cable operators Conglomerates Trying to adapt to constant changes

Changes shaped by two disruptions

Cable networks move to original content in the late 1990s Resulted from rise of digital cable and increased competition Needed to stand out for viewers and cable operators Branding

Attempts to stand out amidst the clutter leads to "big statement" programs that are expensive

Can lead to a reliance on international funding and tax incentives

Ecosystem

Co-opetition helps to secure "traditional" TV companies a place within the ecosystem in which different firms play different roles Disruption by streaming information, communication and technology (ICT) companies (NorCal)

Responses to competitive environment

Conglomeration Niche audiences Changes in structure of seasons, episodes New revenue streams(Cable operators (retransmission fees)) Streaming windows Co-opetition

Ad based

Connected to data aggregation MCNs

All impacted by digital technology

Content (Programs) Flow Streaming Distribution Viewing Brand experience

Defining television

Content (Programs) Flow Streaming Distribution Viewing Brand experience

Sectors of The TV-Content Industry

Content Production Distribution Aggregation

Streaming as industrial disruptor of television

Cost of and competition for cast and crew Sparked both expensive programs on other networks as well as the search for inexpensive content to balance this out Search for new voices Impact DVD sales and other ancillary markets for television Moving into a range of genres (not just "complex dramas") More creative freedom for creators Making freedom for viewers (viewers as "empowered") Schedule is irrelevant Niche audiences Creation of new windows/new ways of watching "The season after" Impacts the factor of exclusivity Networks v. individual programs Full season commitments potentially change the content

Program Brand

Creates a particular identity for what the program is and how it will make you feel

Influx of money available for production and purchase of programs

Creating "efficient" programs (game shows, reality shows) Shows that are easily localized Decline of cost-plus financing leaves producers in charge of their IP

Conglomeration Drawbacks

Creating a coherent brand personality May draw attention to concentration of ownership

types of streaming television

Curation (Content) Funding Ad based All still attempting to merge two industries and keep up with changing technologies and changing consumer tastes

windowing

Definition: "managing the release sequence for content so as to maximize the returns from intellectual property rights"

Growth in international markets

Deregulation Privatization Commercialization Conglomeration International copyright agreements Resulted in: need for additional content

Growing Importance of the International Market

Desire/Need for larger markets Constricting of domestic growth in the late 1980s and 1990s Technologies that allowed for cross-border channels

Co-opetition Concerns

Diminish competition

Distribution of content on-line

Disconnect viewers/content from networks "Content remains the same no matter where viewers find it" (Berman interview)

Second screen

Distribution of content on-line Focus on engagement Digital extensions of television shows Allows for more input from viewers

Distribution

Distributors: conglomerates or independents Deliver content from producer to aggregator

Allows for more input from viewers

Does this input change the ways viewers think about television?

Focus on engagement

Encouraging viewers to think and talk about content

Netflix brand

Exclusive content Expand audience

Marvel brand

Expand audience Darker content Change image More "complex" content Less "global" storylines Less "traditional" (invulnerable) heroes "Street level" Baysinger, 8

DC Brand

Expand audience Rejuvenate the brand

CW Brand

Expand audience Responding to brand issues with advertisers and affiliates

Co-opetition

Firms cooperate in some areas and compete in others Different than vertical relationships where buyers and suppliers interact (they serve as business partners and don't compete) Partnerships, alliances, joint ventures, technology licensing

YouTube and MCNs

Focuses on advertising split no residuals Uses Google data to target advertising YouTube moving into original content production, YouTube Red MCNs being purchased by Hollywood conglomerates

Growth of international aggregators

Going "global" both in horizontal and vertical directions

Premium cable networks

HBO

Some programming very expensive

House of Cards effect Content that moves across boundaries and platforms

Content franchises

Immerse viewers in the "universe" Move viewers across different platforms of content DC and Marvel's different approaches to their franchised universe Interconnected v. distinct

Different elements of the ecosystem carry their own brands

Impact how we make meaning of the final product in ways that may have nothing to do with the actual content

cost-plus

Initial transmission or first window rights were usually assigned to a domestic commissioning broadcaster, such as ITV or the BBC, whose fee would cover all production costs and provide an upfront production fee—

Preference for domestic content

Language Culture Reduction in the use of U.S. television Filler programming Expensive, prestige programs

YouTube and MCNs (Drawbacks/difficulties)

Large amount of content/clutter to break through Lots of competition for advertising dollars Low barriers of entry Anxious advertisers Creators are being "poached"

Piracy

Led to shorter periods between windows Day and date in film (PVOD) For television: release on windows that reach multiple territories on the same day Some new windows want exclusive and global rights

Programs

More content being produced Some programming very expensive Some programming very inexpensive Limited series Split season/Season? Shows that works well with the second screen

Responses to competitive environment (content changes)

More expensive Less expensive New types of representations

Importance of Branding

Need to attract attention Need to create loyalty

Contradictions of a Channel Brand

Need to reach many viewers but have a focused niche Must appeal to many different viewers but be one thing Must have flexible programming but be clearly defined Must evolve and stay fresh/new but be consistent

First run

Network Off network Financed by distribution outlets Either through deficit financing or cost-plus

Distribution Brand

Networks that provide content: NBC, USA, ESPN, HBO, YouTube, Netflix Networks must promise a certain kind of product Uses programming to offer that brand

Changed by cable/"quality" television of the 1980s

No commercials Flexi-narratives Complex characters/antiheroes

television "ecosystem"

Not just about technology Also about "protocols" Changes shaped by two disruptions Streaming technology Conglomeration and other business imperatives often leads television companies to encourage the movement of viewers across platforms 360º television

Television portals

Offer different experiences( Navigation and Recommendations) Offer different types of content (Netflix=high end professional content YouTube=personality-based short form content "Procrastination economy") Based in the merging of IT industry and entertainment industry (NorCal and SoCal)

OTT

Over the Top Netflix

Broadcast networks

Owned and Operated Affiliated

Second Cycle

Paid by distribution outlets for window rights

complications

Piracy Attempts to stand out amidst the clutter leads to "big statement" programs that are expensive Some windows now eliminate the geographic and temporal element of the process

Rights segmented by

Platform Territory/Language

Aggregators

Preference for domestic content Influx of money available for production and purchase of programs Growth of international aggregators Government pressure for greater exports, drives a call for commissioning less "national" content (under cost-plus system)

Distribution platforms

Premium cable networks Basic cable networks Broadcast networks SVOD AVOD TVOD OTT DVD

Multichannel Networks

Primarily amateur content that is professionalized and monetized Financed by advertising and sponsorship Grow subscriber/fan bases (Either across categories or within a niche) Function (Manage channels Find talent that may be moved into the mainstream industry)

Content Production

Production companies: conglomerates or independents

Need to attract attention

Pull Television Alternative forms of entertainment

Streaming television

Rare before 2010 Not just about technology being available Major studios were reluctant to sell rights Allowed for multiple signals at the same time Gives the viewer control Co-exists with broadcast/cable (Viewers don't think of the difference; broadcast, cable, streaming is all just television) Distinctions exist at the technological, regulatory, and industrial levels (SVOD's biggest difference from networks is funding model rather than distribution method)

Co-opetition Benefits

Reduce risks Reduce time to market Decrease product development costs Provide access to new markets and technologies

Do most streamed television shows still adhere to the basic speech genres of "television?"

Seasons Number of episodes "Dumping" Length of episodes Title sequences Flow determined by viewers Genres Complex Narratives Cliffhangers at the end of episodes

Marvel and Netflix

Shows successfully connected to Netflix Marvel brand Netflix brand

DC more success with "traditional" television

Smallville, Arrowverse, Gotham Allows for "bigger name" superheroes

Speech genres

Socially constructed ways of "speaking" in certain circumstances Allows for shared understanding in different environments Generates "rules" and expectations Change over time and in different sociocultural contexts Can be impacted by changes in technology but not determined by them

Expectations of traditional TV genres

Structure: breaks for commercials Form: episodic, serialized, anthology Clearly constructed characters

SVOD

Subscription VOD Netflix

Funding

Subscription based Similar to "legacy" television

Expanding demand market

TV producers and networks (CW, CBS, HBO, ESPN) are moving into the digital market (apps and on-line services) Cable and Dish operators are providing "TV Everywhere" and VOD options (logins) Online platforms (Netflix, YouTube) offer libraries of on demand content Consumer Electronic (CE) vendors are providing TV sets (Smart TV) and gaming consoles (Xbox) that offer access to content Content providers have to work with all of these option

Television Flow

Temporal units put together in a planned way Even commercial are not interruptions but part of the television experience

Digital extensions of television shows

The on-line experience is part of the show Must be about more than marketing "Create once, publish many" has been replaced by the need to create different content for different platforms

Basic cable networks

Through cable operators or satellite providers

Live television: watching in real time

To encourage viewing at the time of broadcast Use live television to move people across platforms and use second screens to encourage viewership of programming A way to compete with streaming television and other forms of viewer control Most closely associated with certain genres Create "media events"

Content Producers

Traditionally, created for national audiences but this is changing Different degrees of control over IP and future sales Complicated balance between national audience and international audience - particularly when creating content for public service broadcasting (For the UK, the types of drama seen as "selling well" have changed for the new OTT market) Producers turned to distributors for financing support (the equivalent of the U.S. studios) --- The focus on "big statement" drama

TVOD

Transactional VOD Itunes

Live television: watching at the time of broadcast

Use second screen activity to encourage viewing at the time of broadcast Some shows promoted as "live" that are not

Breaking the television flow

VHS/DVDs VHS/DVRs Streaming

Brand of "television"

Was lowbrow Now "better"? Related to class Types of television being used to re-inscribe dominance of taste

Codes of television

Ways of creating meaning that are expected and accepted in television Stylistic Ideological

Some windows now eliminate the geographic and temporal element of the process

Windows reach across territories Windows have vague time limits

Contradiction of new technologies

allow for new opportunities in distribution (particularly for niche content) but complicating the release patterns that will make this content profitable - and get exposure to large audiences

deficit financing

expenditure is higher than the revenue.

Ecosystem-Niche players

often responsible for innovation

Ecosystem-Keystone Organizations

play a critical role in the success of the ecosystem

Ecosystem-Dominators

take out too much value and don't leave enough for other firms

First Window

to the financing or commissioning platform