Week 8 - Audiences: Technology and the impact on consumption

In this week’s lecture we were able to map out and explore the change in consumption of Film and TV due to the arrival of digital technology as well as the impact this has had on audiences viewing experiences. The key reading investigates the success of a murder detective genre series that was viewed through TV and it’s website ‘www.homicide.com’. This integration enabled the distribution company to air certain parts or whole episodes on TV or their website and due to its genre this suggests that it creates suspense, generating dedicated viewers that are more likely to use diverse media forms to consume this programme. This strategy “represented the ultimate integration and seamless convergence of old and new media” (Everett and Caldwell, 2003) and is used currently by numerous companies to encourage audience members to interact with the product. Furthermore, branding is discussed in the reading, which is something millions including myself add to through the purchase of merchandise, which can be found in various forms almost everywhere.

The advent of the digital age has certainly impacted they ways I consume TV and Film. Growing up in Cyprus was undoubtedly very different to what I’ve heard growing up in the U.K is like; this includes even the consumption of media. As a child I watched TV shows on tape, my aunty would record them from channels such as Trouble and post them to us. Things like the Sky Box or even Disney Channel weren’t accessible to us and Greek/Cypriot TV is awful once compared to that of the U.K or the U.S. This meant waiting once a month to get a box full of tapes and binge watching classics such as Martin, My Wife and Kids, Moesha, One on One and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was worthwhile.  

Netlix is my key source of TV and Film consumption; I tend to use it because it’s cheap, has a wide range of selection, is convenient as I travel a lot and easy due to its new download feature. Netflix started off selling and renting DVDs, then expanded by introducing streaming media and renting Blu-ray and DVDs via their mailing subscription. “In 2013, Netflix expanded into Film and TV production.” (Wikipedia, 2017) “Netflix members with a streaming-only plan can watch TV shows and movies instantly in over 190 countries.” (Wikipedia, 2017) I love Netflix because as mentioned previously it’s almost second nature to binge watch and through this service I am able to do so even on a pocket sized device on the move.  I would love to research further into streaming services as I think they have gained mass popularity.

References:

1.     Everett, A and Caldwell, J (Eds) (2003), New Media: Theories and Practices of Digitextuality, Routledge, London and New York. pp 127-144

2.     Wikipedia (2017) Netflix (1997): General Information [via the web] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netflix  [Accessed 15^th March 2017]

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