The Specialised Television Industry:

Television has changed considerably since the advent of digital technology in terms of its production, distribution and consumption. It has become increasingly global, rather than a national industry and has become increasingly commercial, with public service broadcasting forced to adapt its structure, role and function. International co-production is growing and broadcasters such as HBO have achieved global success.

Broadcasters are now 'narrowcasters', with multiple channels targeting different (sometimes niche) audiences.

Audiences consume television texts in a variety of ways as the industry has increased portability via new platforms (tablet, mobile phone) and patterns of consumption have changed alongside this (the box-set and binge watching, on demand and catch up, Netflix, Amazon etc).

Interactive social media channels such as youtube have increased accessibility for the 'prosumer' audience, and social media and viral promotion have become a crucial part of marketing television texts.

In the 1930s when television was first being invented only 400 sets were created and only wealthy and upper class people could watch television. Now it is a lower class activity.

Humans advertising and distribution
Ownership and economic factors
Owned by Channel 4 - make all of money from advertising.

How have ownership and economic factors shaped the TV programs you have studied.
Pan-Atlantic programming - commissioned by both Channel 4 (UK) and aMC (US). Has led to inclusion of American characters like George.
Independent ideology - themes of rebellion, culture and identity.
Relatively high production values.
Britishness - British themes, representations, actors, locations, stereotypes, ideologies and 'style'.

Fans and Fandom
Stuart Hall - reception theory

Henry Jenkins - fandom
Fandom refers to a particularly organised and motivated audience of a certain media producer franchise.
Unlike the generic audience or the classic spectator, fans are active participants in the construction and circulation of textual meanings.
Fans appropriate texts and read them in ways that are not fully intended by the media producers ('textual poaching'). Examples of this may manifest in conventions, fan fiction and so on.
Rather than just play a video game or watch a TV show, fans construct their social and cultural identities through borrowing and utilising mass culture images, and may use this 'subcultural capital' to form social bonds. For example, through online forums like Reddit or 4Chan.

Regulation:
Regulations exist to protect audiences from harmful material
Regulation doesn't work well for television. Easy to access explicit material onTV without verifying you age.
"Ofcom is required to assess the likelihood of material encouraging or inciting the commission of crime or leading to disorder."

Scenes in Humans that may encourage crime and disorder:



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