Beyond Broadcasting? TV for the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

TV is being reshaped, reimagined and reinvented in unpredictable ways. Broadcasting has become only one of a set of options for the distribution of TV content, alongside cable, DVDs, internet downloads, and online video streams. Simultaneously, audiences have embraced new modes of engagement with audio-visual products, with many seamlessly shifting from the role of consumer to that of producer. Broadcasting still reigns, but its place as the normative television form is under greater threat than ever. The articles in this issue of MIA suggest that, while it may no longer be the cultural norm, broadcasting may still have a role to play in whatever television becomes. The current phase of television suggests contested continuities rather than radical seismic shifts, as the new technologies open up possibilities beyond broadcasting. Of most interest is the emerging tension between what newly empowered users want television to be, and the institutional desire to dictate the direction and pace of change.

Multi-platform media and the miracle of the loaves and fishes

“…The ways in which media organisations contend with the challenges of adapting to digitisation and the internet have been the pivotal issue in many earlier studies (ChanOlmsted & Chang, 2003;Dennis et al, 2006;Küng, Picard, & Towse, 2008;Meikle & Young, 2008) but few have focused specifically on multi-platform strategies. Therefore this article extends a limited body of earlier work (Bennett & Strange, 2014;Sørensen, 2014) by presenting new findings in relation to how the transition to a multi-platform environment is impacting on organisational strategies.…”

“…An extensive literature has developed concerning how organisations in media and communications industries have struggled to adapt to advancing technology and, in particular, their responses to digitisation and the internet have provided a focus in many earlier studies (Chan-Olmsted & Chang, 2003;Dennis, Warley, & Sheridan, 2006;Gershon, 2009;Küng, 2008;Küng, Picard & Towse, 2008;Meikle & Young, 2008;Raviola & Gade, 2009). Some earlier studies have focused on multi-platform strategies although typically the context for such analyses is a single sector, for example some looking purely at the experience of newspaper publishers (Goyanes & Dürrenberg, 2014) and others at magazines (Champion, 2014).…”

General-television programming in Europe (UE5): Public versus commercial channels

“…The study of the schedules of generalist television is essential in understanding the role of public television in the audio-visual system. The changes in the audio-visual industry caused by the digitization and convergence of media and devices, and the changes in access to and consumption of content (Bustamante, 2010;Creeber;Hills, 2007;Dhoest;Simons, 2016;Meikle;Young, 2008;Prado;Fernández-Quijada, 2006) contextualize the editorial policies of the operators. This scenario is key to understanding possible programming strategies, as in other historical periods, such as privatization and deregulation Prado, 2000;Prado et al, 1999;Garitaonandía;López, 1999) which broke with the previous beliefs (Montero, 2018).…”

Broadband transformation through improved support systems

“…In the current digital environment, there are a growing set of technical options for the distribution and viewing of TV content, including cable and pay TV, DVDs, Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) hardware, and Internet Television software offering on-demand TV programs, online file-sharing, and Internet video streaming (Meikle and Young 2008). These technologies not only challenge the dominance of a traditional broadcast regime and the business models of free-to-air networks, but also, as Bruns (2008) argues, undermine the very significance of broadcast television.…”