Television industry contexts: Blog tasks

 independent: British viewers can't get enough of foreign-language dramas

Read this Independent feature on foreign-language dramas. If the website is blocked or forcing you to register you can access the text of the article here. It features an in-depth interview with Walter Iuzzolino who curates Channel 4's Walter Presents programming. Answer the questions below:

1) What does the article suggest regarding the traditional audience for foreign-language subtitled media?

Fifteen years ago, if you'd mentioned to a colleague that you'd spent Saturday night glued to a subtitled European drama, you'd have been quietly declared pretentious, dull and, possibly, a little odd. This suggest that times have changed and more people are interested  in foreign drama 

2) What does Walter Iuzzolino suggest is the key appeal of his 'Walter Presents' shows?

 the tv Shows  shown will be  foreign and will be great at keeping you immersed and entertained in the drama set  in that other countries.

3) The article makes an interesting claim for the popularity of subtitles in the multi-screen age. What does it suggest?

 "We   love getting that insight into a different culture  "The unfamiliar setting gives us a sense of  freshness this is because its different to us  is by having subtitles we then think we are in that country. "You develop a love for the distant world because while you're watching, you're in Sweden," he says. "If you see something amazing set in Argentina, then Argentina itself, the houses, the people, what they wear, what their voices sound like, the language, is one of the biggest appeals. There is a huge pleasure in that."

He's right. Our love for these shows is summed up in Sarah Lund's jumpers; in Birgitte Nyborg's pronunciation of "tak". They are fascinating because they convey worlds we don't inhabit and, as with reading Hillary Mantel, we love knowing that while we're absorbing a great yarn, we are also expanding our horizons.

4) What are the other audiences pleasures of foreign TV drama suggested by the article?

Diversion and entertainment as you feel like you are in the places of these  tv shows 

Film School Rejects: The foreign TV dramas you're missing out on

Now read this Film School Rejects feature on the foreign TV dramas you're missing out on. This contains some particularly useful background on Deutschland 83's reception internationally. If the website is blocked, you can access the article text here. Answer the following questions:

1) What does the article tell us about Deutschland 83's release schedule?

January 2016 saw the UK premiere of the series on mainstream Channel 4, and with this came foreign drama and television expert Walter Iuzzolino’s streaming service Walter Presents. Perhaps the most successful broadcast of the show to date, Channel 4 saw viewing figures reach a peak of 2.13 million viewers in a prime time TV slot, earning it the title of the UK’s highest-rated foreign drama. Like in the US, its success brought impressive reviews. Yet, the UK broadcast also achieved something more: a renewal of a foreign drama. 

2) The article contains important statistics on viewing figures in different countries. What were the German viewing figures for the first and last episode? What were Channel's 4's viewing figures for Deutschland 83?

the German premiere had 3.19 million viewers. Each new episode saw that figure drop, and by the series’ conclusion the figures had fallen down to 1.63 million — it’s lowest figure.

Meanwhile, American audience viewing figures kept rising, and, not only did more people tune in, but the series was a critical success. With a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes and critics at publications like the New York Times calling it “refreshing,” and indieWire a “genuine corker” with the geopolitical divide “rendered in bold, artful strokes,” it’s clear that Deutschland ’83 had a more successful impact on its US viewership than the series’ own homeland.

January 2016 saw the UK premiere of the series on mainstream Channel 4, and with this came foreign drama and television expert Walter Iuzzolino’s streaming service Walter Presents. Perhaps the most successful broadcast of the show to date, Channel 4 saw viewing figures reach a peak of 2.13 million viewers in a prime time TV slot, earning it the title of the UK’s highest-rated foreign drama. 

3) Who are the two production and distribution companies behind Deutschland 83 and what did they announce in October? 

The production company behind Deutschland 83 is UFA Fiction, and the distribution company is FremantleMedia International. They announced a renewal of the show for a second season in October 2016. 

4) How does Walter Iuzzolino use social media to engage audiences in new international TV dramas? How does he suggest this has changed the reception of foreign productions in the UK?

 By promoting foreign drama on its own terms viewers can pick and choose from the most popular productions from around the world. With Iuzzolino being the man behind it all — carefully curating and selecting each series for the viewer — the service feels handpicked and personally designed, going against the faceless identities behind Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Even if you’re weary of foreign drama, with Iuzzolino posting a “Weekend Pick” on his Facebook page and engaging with viewers on Twitter, it’s impossible not to become engrossed in the experience. As Iuzzolino says, in the UK subtitled and foreign productions are “relegated to the elite” and the art-house. His streaming service has certainly changed this perception in Britain. 

The Guardian: How Britain's TV industry is struggling in the streaming era

Read this Guardian feature on how Britain's TV industry - particularly public service broadcasters - are struggling to keep up with the American streaming giants. Answer the following questions: 

1) What is happening to UK public service broadcasters like the BBC and Channel 4 when it comes to TV drama? 

 They are grappling with declining audience numbers, increased competition from streaming services, and the need to adapt to a digital-first world. Additionally, funding models and government policies are raising concerns about the future sustainability of these broadcasters

2) Look at the middle of the article where global budgets are discussed. What was the peak of the global premium TV streaming market and what has it dropped to in recent years? 

British Film Institute revealed that the amount they spent on premium TV shows costing at least £1m an hour to make plunged last year by a quarter to the lowest level since 2019.

st two years after Netflix launched in the UK – the high-end TV production market was worth £640m, with just 30 shows classified as funded or co-funded by streamers.

By the peak of the streaming wars in 2022, fuelled by the race to restock content post-Covid, the premium TV market was worth £5.1bn, with almost 160 productions attributed to streamer funding or co-funding.

Since then, almost £2bn in annual spend has disappeared, although the latest BFI figures show a slight uptick to £3.4bn last year, as the streamers have cut back on profligate spending to focus on profitability.

UK broadcasters, already struggling under high-end TV production costs of as much as £5m an hour, have tightened commissioning spend amid an advertising downturn and significant cost increases due to soaring UK inflation. The BBC has also had to contend with several years of a frozen licence fee.

3) What are the typical production costs per hour of high-end TV production? Why does this create a challenge for Britain's public service broadcasters? 

igh-end TV production costs of as much as £5m an hour,. 

4) Look at the end of the article. Why is there still an optimism about the British TV industry?

Despite the current trials, tribulations and financial pressures, Garvie says there is no question the UK is still riding high on the premium drama boom instigated by the global streamers.

“If you’d have said to drama producers 20 years ago, when reality TV formats ruled the world, that we would be in a business today where free-to-air broadcasters would be able to make as much high-quality drama as they do, and that international streamers would pay Hollywood budgets and distribute shows around the world but that you would keep the rights, broadcasters would have bitten your hand off.”

Media Magazine: Netflix and the Cultural Industries 

Finally, go to our Media Magazine archive and read the article on Netflix and the Cultural Industries (MM63 - page 45). Answer the following questions:

1) What does David Hesmondhalgh argue with regards to how the creative industries have changed since the 1980s?

David Hesmondhalgh  argues that since the 1980s there’s been a significant shift in cultural production.

Cultural industries have moved closer  to the centre of economic action

• There has been an increase in media corporations owning companies in different sectors of the industry

• Globalisation has meant media texts can circulate more easily across borders reducing North American dominance

• Deregulation has reduced public ownership

• Advertising ‘dollars’ have significantly increased as has cross promotion within texts

• Digitisation has allowed the technology sector to compete directly with traditional media companies

• Niche audiences are increasingly targeted.

2) What is technological convergence? 

digitisation of media meant every media form could be accessed on computers.

3) How are technology companies challenging traditional broadcasters in the TV industry?

by offering alternative content consumption methods like on-demand streaming, expanding distribution options, and introducing new revenue models. These platforms, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, have disrupted traditional broadcast models by providing audiences with personalized content and access to a vast library of programming. Furthermore, technology allows for more flexible and cost-effective distribution, enabling smaller niche audiences to be reached economically. 

4) The global nature of modern television means producers are having to consider international audiences when creating content. What example from Netflix does the article use to explain this?

2016 Netflix simultaneously launched its service in 130 new countries, bringing its total to 190, and Amazon opened in 200. Going global means they have to pay for the license to broadcast individual shows in different countries so another advantage of creating their own content is that Netflix or Amazon automatically own the copyright for the programmes and don’t have to purchase additional distrbution permissions. 

That may seem simple; however, in order to address such diverse audiences with the same programmes producers have to take great care to ensure their productions can be understood widely. Although it’s true to say that in many countries American culture is, after their own, most people’s second culture and so understanding US-produced texts is relatively easy, that doesn’t mean producers can assume everything will be understood globally. For example, take the monster in Stranger Things named (by the kids) the ‘Demogorgon’ after a Dungeons & Dragons demon prince. To ensure that connection transcended language barriers, Netflix’s team dug into old D&D materials to nail down how various cultures translated ‘Demogorgon’

in the mid-1970s. Consequently the Demogorgon was renamed in some parts of the world based on what the demon prince of Dungeons & Dragons was called.