TELEVISION AND DIGITAL CONVERGENCE
INHOUD
1. Television studies .......................................................................................................................................................... 6
1.1 What is television? .................................................................................................................................................. 6
TV changes ................................................................................................................................................................ 6
TV 1.0: broadcasting ................................................................................................................................................. 6
TV 2.0: digital tv ........................................................................................................................................................ 7
is it Still television? .................................................................................................................................................... 7
1.2. Studying television ................................................................................................................................................. 8
what is television studies? ........................................................................................................................................ 8
Roots of television studies ........................................................................................................................................ 9
1.3. Aspects of television ............................................................................................................................................ 10
2. Broadcast TV ............................................................................................................................................................... 13
2.1. TV history ............................................................................................................................................................. 13
Bignell & Fickers (2008): Concepts and tensions in history of television ............................................................... 13
2.1.1. Tv spheres: private vs. public ........................................................................................................................ 13
2.1.2. TV spaces: national versus transnational, regional versus global................................................................. 13
2.1.3. Television institutions: public service versus commercial television............................................................ 14
2.1.4. TV audience: active versus passive audiences .............................................................................................. 14
2.1.5. Television technologies: transmission versus reception .............................................................................. 14
2.1.6. Television discourses: between hopes and fears ......................................................................................... 14
2.1.7. Television norms: high versus low quality .................................................................................................... 15
2.1.8. TElevision rituals: ordinary versus event ...................................................................................................... 15
2.1.9. Television politics: democratic versus totalitarian ....................................................................................... 15
2.1.10. Television changes: old versus new ............................................................................................................ 15
2.2. Stages of TV history.............................................................................................................................................. 15
2.2.1. Ellis 2000 ....................................................................................................................................................... 15
2.2.2. Johnson 2019 ................................................................................................................................................ 16
2.3. Characteristics of boradcast TV ........................................................................................................................... 16
2.3.1. Ellis, J (1982): technology leading to specific forms and aesthetics ............................................................. 16
2.3.2. Viewing experiences of tv viewing in broadcasting era ................................................................................ 16
2.3.3. Implications for form .................................................................................................................................... 17
2.4. Scheduling ............................................................................................................................................................ 17
2.4.1. Bignell, J. (2013) ............................................................................................................................................ 17
2.4.2. Bruun (2020): five functions ......................................................................................................................... 18
Critical reflection ......................................................................................................................................................... 18
,3. Television 2.0 .............................................................................................................................................................. 18
3.1. Convergence ........................................................................................................................................................ 18
3.2. Impact of convergence on tv ............................................................................................................................... 19
3.2.1. Individualisation ............................................................................................................................................ 19
3.3. The end of tv? some voices .................................................................................................................................. 22
3.3.1. Catherine Johnson (2019) ‘Online TV’ .......................................................................................................... 24
4. TV production and distribution ................................................................................................................................... 25
4.1. Macro view: the TV industry ................................................................................................................................ 25
4.1.1. Technological changes .................................................................................................................................. 25
4.1.2. Political changes ............................................................................................................................................ 25
4.1.3. Economic changes ......................................................................................................................................... 25
4.2. Micro view: tv program production ..................................................................................................................... 28
4.2.1. Cost reduction ............................................................................................................................................... 28
4.2.2. Home-grown programs ................................................................................................................................. 28
4.2.3. Production routine ........................................................................................................................................ 28
4.3. Distribution .......................................................................................................................................................... 29
5. Texts ............................................................................................................................................................................ 31
5.1. Analysing TV programs......................................................................................................................................... 31
5.2. Introduction to semiotics ..................................................................................................................................... 33
5.3. Semiotic analysis of TV ......................................................................................................................................... 35
5.4. TV realities............................................................................................................................................................ 37
6. Audiences .................................................................................................................................................................... 39
Discussion about tekst of cases .................................................................................................................................. 39
6.1. The importance of audiences .............................................................................................................................. 40
6.1.1. The economics of watching television ................................................................................................... 40
6.1.2. Ratings: measuring audiences....................................................................................................................... 41
6.1.3. Targeting audiences ...................................................................................................................................... 41
6.1.4. Prehistory of TV studies engagement with audiences .................................................................................. 41
The most popular television series (1986 - 2019)................................................................................................... 41
6.2. Active audiences .................................................................................................................................................. 41
6.3. Qualitative audience research ............................................................................................................................. 43
6.3.1. Audience research from the 1980s ............................................................................................................... 43
6.3.2. Criticism on active audience theory.............................................................................................................. 43
6.3.3. Global and diasporic audiences .................................................................................................................... 44
6.3.4. Television audiences and cultural identity.................................................................................................... 44
6.4. Fan audiences ...................................................................................................................................................... 44
6.5. Audience 2.0 ........................................................................................................................................................ 45
7. TV cultures .................................................................................................................................................................. 47
, 7.1. The globalization of TV......................................................................................................................................... 47
7.1.1.Barker & Jane 2016 ........................................................................................................................................ 47
7.1.2. Global electronic culture ............................................................................................................................... 47
7.1.3. Bignell 2013: Global news ............................................................................................................................. 47
7.2. The persistence of national TV............................................................................................................................. 48
7.2.1. Barker 1999: Does TV unite the nation? ....................................................................................................... 48
7.2.2. Morley 2004 .................................................................................................................................................. 48
7.2.3. Waisbord 2004: TV nations ........................................................................................................................... 48
7.2.4. Globalization and the crisis of national media .............................................................................................. 48
7.2.5. The persistence of the national .................................................................................................................... 49
7.2.6. TV contributes to nation in three ways......................................................................................................... 49
7.2.7. Turner (2009) ................................................................................................................................................ 49
7.3. Global/Local ......................................................................................................................................................... 50
7.3.1. Moran 2009: formats .................................................................................................................................... 50
7.3.2. Bignell 2013 ................................................................................................................................................... 50
8. Quality ......................................................................................................................................................................... 51
8.1. What is quality drama? ........................................................................................................................................ 51
8.1.1. Nelson 2007: High-end drama ...................................................................................................................... 51
8.1.2. TV drama studies........................................................................................................................................... 51
8.1.3. Cinematic television ...................................................................................................................................... 51
8.1.4. Technological context ................................................................................................................................... 52
8.1.5. Industry context ............................................................................................................................................ 52
8.1.6. Television’s pleasures ................................................................................................................................... 52
8.1.7. Blurred boundaries: generic and cultural hybridity ...................................................................................... 52
8.2. Characteristics of quality drama .......................................................................................................................... 52
8.2.1. Visual style .................................................................................................................................................... 53
8.2.2. Bignell 2013: talking about style and value .................................................................................................. 53
8.2.3. Identifying quality TV drama ......................................................................................................................... 53
8.2.4. Quality and authorship ................................................................................................................................. 54
8.3. Channels and brands ............................................................................................................................................ 54
8.3.1. Also on streaming services............................................................................................................................ 55
8.4. Criticizing discourses on quality TV ...................................................................................................................... 55
8.4.1. Other programs may also be valuable ......................................................................................................... 55
8.4.2. Discourses about quality TV are problematic ............................................................................................... 55
Guest lecture: Television in south africa- Olja Rudic ...................................................................................................... 58
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................ 58
Artikel De Morgen: Interracial kiss angers racist ‘7de Laan’ viewers (2019) ........................................................... 58
Brief history ................................................................................................................................................................. 58
, Development of South African Television: 1976- 1990 .............................................................................................. 59
‘End of apartheid: 1990- 2000 ................................................................................................................................ 59
South african television in a globalised world context ............................................................................................... 59
Edutainment............................................................................................................................................................ 59
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................... 59
Guestlecture: Netflix speaks arabic. Arabs speak Netflix – Haddad ............................................................................... 60
Context: Netflix vs. ShahidVIP ..................................................................................................................................... 60
Research questions ..................................................................................................................................................... 60
Theory, concepts and literature highlights ................................................................................................................. 60
Transnationality ...................................................................................................................................................... 60
Creativity & the screen idea .................................................................................................................................... 60
Methodology ........................................................................................................................................................... 61
Findings ....................................................................................................................................................................... 62
1. Negotiation transnationality ............................................................................................................................... 62
2. Negotiation novelty (the scree idea system) ...................................................................................................... 62
Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................................. 62
Discussion.................................................................................................................................................................... 62
Guest lecture: Sexual and gender diversity in youth& children’s media- Van Wichelen ............................................... 63
Sexual & gender diversity: what’s in the name?......................................................................................................... 63
1. Representation........................................................................................................................................................ 63
Evolution over the years ......................................................................................................................................... 63
Three phases in deception ...................................................................................................................................... 63
Children and sexual & gender diversity → PHD research....................................................................................... 63
2. Production............................................................................................................................................................... 64
Production study ..................................................................................................................................................... 64
Why include sexual and gender diversity? ............................................................................................................. 64
How to include LGBTQ characters?......................................................................................................................... 65
More nude, more progressive?............................................................................................................................... 65
How do we improve? .............................................................................................................................................. 65
3. Reception ................................................................................................................................................................ 66
What do parents think of current lgbtq representation in children’s media? ....................................................... 66
Follow up study: What do parents think of current LGBTQ representation in children’s media? ......................... 67
4. (Digital) reception: case study of wtFock ................................................................................................................ 68
What does all of this mean when the storyline revolves around LGBTQ issues? ................................................... 68
Methodology and sample ....................................................................................................................................... 69
Findings ................................................................................................................................................................... 69
Conclusion: wtfock and online support vor lfbtq issues? ....................................................................................... 69
Guest lecture: Media research- Jo martens .................................................................................................................... 70
INHOUD
1. Television studies .......................................................................................................................................................... 6
1.1 What is television? .................................................................................................................................................. 6
TV changes ................................................................................................................................................................ 6
TV 1.0: broadcasting ................................................................................................................................................. 6
TV 2.0: digital tv ........................................................................................................................................................ 7
is it Still television? .................................................................................................................................................... 7
1.2. Studying television ................................................................................................................................................. 8
what is television studies? ........................................................................................................................................ 8
Roots of television studies ........................................................................................................................................ 9
1.3. Aspects of television ............................................................................................................................................ 10
2. Broadcast TV ............................................................................................................................................................... 13
2.1. TV history ............................................................................................................................................................. 13
Bignell & Fickers (2008): Concepts and tensions in history of television ............................................................... 13
2.1.1. Tv spheres: private vs. public ........................................................................................................................ 13
2.1.2. TV spaces: national versus transnational, regional versus global................................................................. 13
2.1.3. Television institutions: public service versus commercial television............................................................ 14
2.1.4. TV audience: active versus passive audiences .............................................................................................. 14
2.1.5. Television technologies: transmission versus reception .............................................................................. 14
2.1.6. Television discourses: between hopes and fears ......................................................................................... 14
2.1.7. Television norms: high versus low quality .................................................................................................... 15
2.1.8. TElevision rituals: ordinary versus event ...................................................................................................... 15
2.1.9. Television politics: democratic versus totalitarian ....................................................................................... 15
2.1.10. Television changes: old versus new ............................................................................................................ 15
2.2. Stages of TV history.............................................................................................................................................. 15
2.2.1. Ellis 2000 ....................................................................................................................................................... 15
2.2.2. Johnson 2019 ................................................................................................................................................ 16
2.3. Characteristics of boradcast TV ........................................................................................................................... 16
2.3.1. Ellis, J (1982): technology leading to specific forms and aesthetics ............................................................. 16
2.3.2. Viewing experiences of tv viewing in broadcasting era ................................................................................ 16
2.3.3. Implications for form .................................................................................................................................... 17
2.4. Scheduling ............................................................................................................................................................ 17
2.4.1. Bignell, J. (2013) ............................................................................................................................................ 17
2.4.2. Bruun (2020): five functions ......................................................................................................................... 18
Critical reflection ......................................................................................................................................................... 18
,3. Television 2.0 .............................................................................................................................................................. 18
3.1. Convergence ........................................................................................................................................................ 18
3.2. Impact of convergence on tv ............................................................................................................................... 19
3.2.1. Individualisation ............................................................................................................................................ 19
3.3. The end of tv? some voices .................................................................................................................................. 22
3.3.1. Catherine Johnson (2019) ‘Online TV’ .......................................................................................................... 24
4. TV production and distribution ................................................................................................................................... 25
4.1. Macro view: the TV industry ................................................................................................................................ 25
4.1.1. Technological changes .................................................................................................................................. 25
4.1.2. Political changes ............................................................................................................................................ 25
4.1.3. Economic changes ......................................................................................................................................... 25
4.2. Micro view: tv program production ..................................................................................................................... 28
4.2.1. Cost reduction ............................................................................................................................................... 28
4.2.2. Home-grown programs ................................................................................................................................. 28
4.2.3. Production routine ........................................................................................................................................ 28
4.3. Distribution .......................................................................................................................................................... 29
5. Texts ............................................................................................................................................................................ 31
5.1. Analysing TV programs......................................................................................................................................... 31
5.2. Introduction to semiotics ..................................................................................................................................... 33
5.3. Semiotic analysis of TV ......................................................................................................................................... 35
5.4. TV realities............................................................................................................................................................ 37
6. Audiences .................................................................................................................................................................... 39
Discussion about tekst of cases .................................................................................................................................. 39
6.1. The importance of audiences .............................................................................................................................. 40
6.1.1. The economics of watching television ................................................................................................... 40
6.1.2. Ratings: measuring audiences....................................................................................................................... 41
6.1.3. Targeting audiences ...................................................................................................................................... 41
6.1.4. Prehistory of TV studies engagement with audiences .................................................................................. 41
The most popular television series (1986 - 2019)................................................................................................... 41
6.2. Active audiences .................................................................................................................................................. 41
6.3. Qualitative audience research ............................................................................................................................. 43
6.3.1. Audience research from the 1980s ............................................................................................................... 43
6.3.2. Criticism on active audience theory.............................................................................................................. 43
6.3.3. Global and diasporic audiences .................................................................................................................... 44
6.3.4. Television audiences and cultural identity.................................................................................................... 44
6.4. Fan audiences ...................................................................................................................................................... 44
6.5. Audience 2.0 ........................................................................................................................................................ 45
7. TV cultures .................................................................................................................................................................. 47
, 7.1. The globalization of TV......................................................................................................................................... 47
7.1.1.Barker & Jane 2016 ........................................................................................................................................ 47
7.1.2. Global electronic culture ............................................................................................................................... 47
7.1.3. Bignell 2013: Global news ............................................................................................................................. 47
7.2. The persistence of national TV............................................................................................................................. 48
7.2.1. Barker 1999: Does TV unite the nation? ....................................................................................................... 48
7.2.2. Morley 2004 .................................................................................................................................................. 48
7.2.3. Waisbord 2004: TV nations ........................................................................................................................... 48
7.2.4. Globalization and the crisis of national media .............................................................................................. 48
7.2.5. The persistence of the national .................................................................................................................... 49
7.2.6. TV contributes to nation in three ways......................................................................................................... 49
7.2.7. Turner (2009) ................................................................................................................................................ 49
7.3. Global/Local ......................................................................................................................................................... 50
7.3.1. Moran 2009: formats .................................................................................................................................... 50
7.3.2. Bignell 2013 ................................................................................................................................................... 50
8. Quality ......................................................................................................................................................................... 51
8.1. What is quality drama? ........................................................................................................................................ 51
8.1.1. Nelson 2007: High-end drama ...................................................................................................................... 51
8.1.2. TV drama studies........................................................................................................................................... 51
8.1.3. Cinematic television ...................................................................................................................................... 51
8.1.4. Technological context ................................................................................................................................... 52
8.1.5. Industry context ............................................................................................................................................ 52
8.1.6. Television’s pleasures ................................................................................................................................... 52
8.1.7. Blurred boundaries: generic and cultural hybridity ...................................................................................... 52
8.2. Characteristics of quality drama .......................................................................................................................... 52
8.2.1. Visual style .................................................................................................................................................... 53
8.2.2. Bignell 2013: talking about style and value .................................................................................................. 53
8.2.3. Identifying quality TV drama ......................................................................................................................... 53
8.2.4. Quality and authorship ................................................................................................................................. 54
8.3. Channels and brands ............................................................................................................................................ 54
8.3.1. Also on streaming services............................................................................................................................ 55
8.4. Criticizing discourses on quality TV ...................................................................................................................... 55
8.4.1. Other programs may also be valuable ......................................................................................................... 55
8.4.2. Discourses about quality TV are problematic ............................................................................................... 55
Guest lecture: Television in south africa- Olja Rudic ...................................................................................................... 58
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................ 58
Artikel De Morgen: Interracial kiss angers racist ‘7de Laan’ viewers (2019) ........................................................... 58
Brief history ................................................................................................................................................................. 58
, Development of South African Television: 1976- 1990 .............................................................................................. 59
‘End of apartheid: 1990- 2000 ................................................................................................................................ 59
South african television in a globalised world context ............................................................................................... 59
Edutainment............................................................................................................................................................ 59
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................... 59
Guestlecture: Netflix speaks arabic. Arabs speak Netflix – Haddad ............................................................................... 60
Context: Netflix vs. ShahidVIP ..................................................................................................................................... 60
Research questions ..................................................................................................................................................... 60
Theory, concepts and literature highlights ................................................................................................................. 60
Transnationality ...................................................................................................................................................... 60
Creativity & the screen idea .................................................................................................................................... 60
Methodology ........................................................................................................................................................... 61
Findings ....................................................................................................................................................................... 62
1. Negotiation transnationality ............................................................................................................................... 62
2. Negotiation novelty (the scree idea system) ...................................................................................................... 62
Conclusions ................................................................................................................................................................. 62
Discussion.................................................................................................................................................................... 62
Guest lecture: Sexual and gender diversity in youth& children’s media- Van Wichelen ............................................... 63
Sexual & gender diversity: what’s in the name?......................................................................................................... 63
1. Representation........................................................................................................................................................ 63
Evolution over the years ......................................................................................................................................... 63
Three phases in deception ...................................................................................................................................... 63
Children and sexual & gender diversity → PHD research....................................................................................... 63
2. Production............................................................................................................................................................... 64
Production study ..................................................................................................................................................... 64
Why include sexual and gender diversity? ............................................................................................................. 64
How to include LGBTQ characters?......................................................................................................................... 65
More nude, more progressive?............................................................................................................................... 65
How do we improve? .............................................................................................................................................. 65
3. Reception ................................................................................................................................................................ 66
What do parents think of current lgbtq representation in children’s media? ....................................................... 66
Follow up study: What do parents think of current LGBTQ representation in children’s media? ......................... 67
4. (Digital) reception: case study of wtFock ................................................................................................................ 68
What does all of this mean when the storyline revolves around LGBTQ issues? ................................................... 68
Methodology and sample ....................................................................................................................................... 69
Findings ................................................................................................................................................................... 69
Conclusion: wtfock and online support vor lfbtq issues? ....................................................................................... 69
Guest lecture: Media research- Jo martens .................................................................................................................... 70
