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