Monday 6 March 2017

Television industry- Section B Main Concepts (Industry and Audience) - Global Issues

Global implications.
Globalisation is the increased global connections between cultures around the world leading to less individual cultures and instead having one large culture across the world.

Key terms: 

Cultural Imperialism-Theory states that Western nations dominate the media around the world which in return has a powerful effect on Third World Cultures by imposing n them Western views and therefore destroying their native cultures.

Global village-a term closely associated with Canadian-born Marshall McLuhan, popularized in his book Understanding Media (1964). McLuhan described how the globe has been contracted into a village by electric technology and the instantaneous movement of information from every quarter to every point at the same time.


Starter: List any TV programmes that you know that are watched by people all over the world.



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Marshall McLuhan predicted the Internet as an "extension of consciousness" thirty years before its commercialisation.

Contemporary media technologies such as satellite television and the Internet have created a steady flow of transnational images that connect audiences worldwide. 
Without global media, according to the conventional wisdom, how would teenagers in India, Turkey, and Argentina embrace a Western lifestyle of Nike shoes, Coca-Cola, and rock music? 
Hence, the strong influence of the mass media on the globalization of culture.


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Media conveys information and entertainment but there are both advantages and disadvantages.

Task 1: List  advantages and disadvantages of media globalisation.

Task 2: Globalisation of the media means that Western values, which are woven into the fabric of TV texts watched all over the world, are also being exported.

Consider the values and ideology of the three TV texts we are studying.



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Global Television:
It has been possible for live events to be broadcast across the world for several decades.
The BBC has transmitted content, especially news globally for several decades. Its World Service has been available in the commonwealth and other countries for example.
BBC sells its documentaries and dramas world wide in huge numbers, especially period dramas.

The UK buys sitcoms from the USA in large numbers, primarily because America was the birthplace of the sitcom-a genre that is relatively inexpensive to make but which is very popular with audiences.


Britain has also pioneered reality television and formats for programmes like X-Factor and Countdown have been sold globally-even if they are adapted for different cultures.


The concept of global television is vast but we need only be concerned with how UK and USA TV can appeal to global markets as this is where our case studies are drawn from.


We also need to consider global appeal- how and why UK and USA programmes appeal to global audiences.


Countries in which English is the second spoken language tend to buy USA and UK programmes more than from other countries because of the language.


DVD box sets have been recordedwith sub titling in many languages since the development of digital media in the 80's.


British TV exports more successfully than any other country (USA comes second) due to the belief that Britain produces better quality television than any other country.


Catch up services such as BBC and ITV Players are not available outside of the UK because this would give foreign audiences the opportunity to watch programmes that haven't been paid for.


Since the rise of the internet, television streaming has been developed but this is generally a paid for service. Enterprising hackers often findd a way to access these services without paying for them.


Distribution


TV distributors work in the same way that film distributors do. They work as agents between the television production companies and the broadcast channels. (Simplified).


Happy Valley was sold through BBC worldwide, the BBC's own distribution company, to seven international broadcasters.

Its international success was no doubt based on the fact that it premiered 7.6 million viewers and achieved 28.9% share-winning the slot.


Sarah Lancashire, the star was already famous for her role in Coronation Street on ITV, which is also broadcast globally.


First Dates was produced by TwentyTwenty (a British production company). Twenty Twenty is owned by Warner Bros Television.


The format for the programme was first developed for Channel 4 but has since been sold to Canada, Germany and the USA.


This works like a franchise. No other company can take or steal the idea for the programme and make their own version. It has been copyrighted. It has to be bought form Warner Bros Television.


Always Sunny was made for the FX channel in America (fox).

It was broadcast on the UK FX Channel and also on Virgin 1 (11.00pm) and Bravo.

It was added to Netflix a year after it appeared on FX in the USA.

All of the seasons are available on Netflix and it is always trending there which shows its popularity.
This shows it popularity, Netflix is a global provider of streaming films and television series.

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Task 3: Use this link to research facts about Netflix. There will be a test on this next week.

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Some exam questions from past papers:

A global audience is important to media industries.’

Discuss this statement with reference to your three main texts. [30]

For this question you will need to combine your knowledge of globalisation and global media with audience theory. This will be supported by examples from your three main texts. 
What to think about...
  • How would you define what a global audience is?
  • Do your texts appeal to a global audience? If so, how?
  • How do your three main texts use marketing to connect with a global audience?
  • How have new media technologies in the online age enabled audiences to connect with media texts?
  • If your main texts lack a clear appeal to a global audience, did this affect their financial or critical success?

‘To what extent are your three main texts global?’ [30]

 As this is a to what extent question, candidates may argue either way. Some of the texts studied may have a more narrow focus and distribution and will not therefore be global. 
This response is wholly acceptable and may include references to 
  • budget, 
  • content, 
  • context 
  • and target audience (e.g. Local newspapers, UK based advertising campaign).
Many texts, however, will have some global aspect – for example content, stars, distribution, social media links, internet links and therefore global audiences and appeals. 
There is a difference, however, between a text which has European or trans-Atlantic appeal and one which is global. The following are some generic points candidates might make for each of the industries but, overall, responses will be dependent on texts studied. 

  • Programme content Non UK made - 
  • distribution Franchises 
  • Sales 
  • BBC networks 
  • Internet viewing (not i-player)
To what extent do your three main texts target a global audience? [30] 
This is an open question which invites candidates to consider the "to what extent" part of the question. It is perfectly valid for candidates to conclude that a text does not target a global audience. 
Responses will differ depending on the industry studied but may make reference to some of the following points: 
  • Distribution 
  • Use of stars/celebrities 
  • Production values 
  • Budget 
  • Niche audiences (not global) 
  • Subject matter/contact 
  • Marketing 
  • Better responses are likely to discuss the nature of 'global' and recognise that a text needs to target a widespread audience to be global, whilst weaker responses may see 'global' as anything outside the UK. 
Global Implications

Here is a sample WJEC question on global implications:
With reference to your selected industry, explore how far your chosen texts are 
global. 
Here is the examiner's response to the answers submitted:

This was quite a broad question but it was not a popular one. Some candidates responded
extremely well and were able to write about the content of their texts (e.g. setting, themes,
actors/stars/celebrities) as well as the global ownership, distribution and audiences for their
selected texts. However it was disappointing to see how few candidates knew anything
about the context of their selected texts and too many made quite bland statements claiming
their texts to be global without really understanding the term itself.
This is what you need to consider for an answer on global implications:

• Product, brand, identity and status
• Promotional strategies
• Use of international celebrities
• On-line adverts
• Facebook, Youtube

Task 4: Answer this with reference to the three TV texts we are studying.


B4. To what extent are your three main texts global? [30]

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