The Reconfigurations in Brazilian Television and the New Communicational Dynamics: A Study About the Globoplay Streaming Platform

Abstract

This article aims at discussing aspects related to the context of the decline of television, approaching Latin American television studies with other theories about television. In this study, we focus our discussion on Globoplay, Grupo Globo's streaming platform — the largest Brazilian media conglomerate. Our analysis investigates Grupo Globo's project to recover old soap operas as a media and marketing strategy for the streaming platform. Based on a theoretical discussion, the study believes that Brazilian television has found ways to guarantee its existence due to platformisation. On the assumption that the socialising character is a major advantage of television, this study questions whether television would be losing its socialising function to the detriment of new media cultures. In fact, we observe that social television and participatory culture employ elements that aggregate and reconfigure this current phase of television, described as a hypertelevision by some authors, such as Scolari (2009). With this in mind, we may not be witnessing television's decline but its new essence. In addition to mobilizing consumption, the return of old soap operas promotes the socialization of the collective nostalgic feeling generated by these productions on social networks. It is evident that the platform has explored this reciprocal relationship between nostalgia and convergence culture to consolidate itself in the Brazilian streaming scenario. In light of these notes, we believe that affective memory has a considerable impact on the strategies employed by the platform, functioning as a profitable and effective mechanism for the survival of Brazilian television.