Now in a second edition, this textbook surveys the channels, platforms, and programming through which television distribution operates, with a diverse selection of contributors providing thorough explorations of global media industries in flux.
Even as legacy media industries experience significant disruption in the face of streaming and online delivery, the power of the television channel persists. Far from disappearing, television channels have multiplied and adapted to meet the needs of old and new industry players alike. Television viewers now navigate complex choices among broadcast, cable, and streaming services across a host of different devices. From Networks to Netflix guides students, instructors, and scholars through that complex and transformed channel landscape to reveal how these industry changes unfold and why they matter. This second edition features new players like Disney+, HBO Max, Crunchyroll, Hotstar, and more, increasing attention to TV services across the world.
An ideal resource for students and scholars of media criticism, media theory, and media industries, this book continues to offer a concrete, tangible way to grasp the foundations of television―and television studies―even as they continue to be rewritten.
Author(s): Derek Johnson
Edition: 2
Publisher: Routledge
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 459
City: New York
Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
1 Pluto TV: Channels, Portals, and the Changing Television Cosmos
The Channel Afterlife of Pluto TV
Linear and Nonlinear Pathways
References
Part Broadcast Legacies
2 ABC: Crisis, Risk, and the Logics of Change
Crisis and Transition: Understanding Network Logics
Fourth-Place Crises: 2004 and 2016
Ends Are Beginnings: From Diversity to the Heartland
Note
References
3 The CW: Media Conglomerates in Partnership
“The Economics of The CW”: Ringer (2011–2012)
“Genre Shows With a Serialized Element”: Supergirl (CBS, 2015–2016; CW, 2016–2021)
The Archie Comics Universe: Riverdale (2017–) and Katy Keene (2020)
Conclusion
Notes
References
4 PBS: Crowdsourcing Culture Since 1969
History
How It Works
Crowdfunding
Mission Accomplished?
Notes
References
5 Telemundo: Telenovelas for the Twenty-First Century
A Tale of Two Networks
Telenovelas as Genre, Industrial Format, and Trans-Continental Identity
A Telenovela By Any Other Name
References
6 TV Globo: Global Expansions and Cross-Media Convergence From Broadcast to Streaming
TV Globo: Into the Twenty-First Century
Globo’s Convergence
Cross-Media Practices
Globalization and Digitization
Conclusion
References
7 MeTV: Old-Time TV’s Last Stand?
Note
References
Part Cable and Satellite Survivors
8 NewsNation: Local Broadcasting, National Cable Channels, and the Evolution of WGN
Notes
References
9 Cartoon Network: Adult Swim and the Evolving Use of “Edge”
Establishing Adult Swim’s “Edge”
Upheavals and Tonal Shifts in Adult Swim’s Programming
Adult Swim’s Productive Use of Digital and Technological Disruptions
Reaching Beyond the Screen
Conclusion
Note
References
10 Nick Jr.: Shifting Conglomerate Strategies From Scheduling to Intellectual Property
Nickelodeon and the Multichannel Transition
NickMom: The Failure of Multichannel Logics in the Post-Network Era
The Utility of Nick Jr. in the Streaming Era
Lessons Learned
References
11 Freeform: Shaking Off the Family Brand Within a Conglomerate Family
Industrial Context: Fragmented Audiences, Conglomerates, and the Family Brand
The Rise of Freeform: Perception Gaps, Aging Millennials and Becomers
Notes
References
12 Comedy Central: Trying to Grow Up By Getting Younger
Comedy Central and the Competition for Comedy On Cable
Comedy Central Grows Up By Getting Younger
References
13 Bravo: Branding, Fandom, and the Lifestyle Network
Cultivating Fan Connections With Emotional Authenticity and Aspirational Femininity
Setting the Bar for Fan Engagement
Notes
References
14 AMC: Story Sync and Frictionless Fandom
AMC’s “Quality” Brand Identity
From Quality to Frictionless Fandom
Story Sync and the Creation of Frictionless Fan Flow
Conclusion
References
15 Starz: Distinction, Value, and Fandom in Premium TV
“You’re Not Dreaming—You’re Just Seeing Starz!”
Original Content: Crash Landing
Now They’re Streaming Starz: Value in an Age of Nonlinear Distribution
“Serving the Fan First”: Programming in the Age of Streaming
Conclusion
Notes
References
16 Playboy TV: Contradictions, Confusion, and Post-Network Pornography
Notes
References
17 El Rey: Latino Indie Auteur as Channel Identity
Make Way for El Rey
El Rey Is Rodriguez, Rodriguez Is El Rey
Striving for an Identity and an Audience
Back to Basics: El Rey 2.0
Notes
References
Part Streaming Ventures
18 Netflix: Streaming Channel Brands as Global Meaning Systems
Defining Netflix
Channels and Brand Hierarchies
Branding Netflix
Netflix as Service Brand
Netflix and Program Branding
Translation and Personalization in Netflix’s Brand
Conclusion: Branding the Stream
References
19 YouTube: The Interface Between Television and Social Media Entertainment
India: Alternative Pathways
Brazil: Cultural Undercurrents Emerge
Australia: Television and SME Learn From Each Other
Conclusion
Note
References
20 IQIYI: China’s Internet Tigers Take Television
From On Air to Online
The Commercialization of Online Video
iQIYI Programming
iQIYI Pictures
Conclusion
References
21 Amazon Prime Video: Scale, Complexity, and Television as Widget
Moving Beyond Pure Play Logics: Prime and the Flywheel
Redefining Success for Media
Conclusion
Notes
References
22 The Roku Channel: Vertically Integrated Connected TV
Locating Roku
A Hardware-Based Platform
The Roku Channel
Platform, Channel, Distributor, Gatekeeper
Notes
References
23 OTV | Open Television: The Development Process
The Pitch
Preproduction
Production
Post-production
Exhibition and Marketing
Note
References
24 Revry: Making the Case for LGBTQ Channels
LGBTQ Mainstreaming
“Queer Culture”: Against Mainstreaming
“Queer Culture” and the “Tribrid” Model
Conclusion
References
25 IROKOtv: Drama for the “Small-Small” Screen
From the Streets to the Small Screen
Binge-worthy Series: Movies as Television, Television as Movies
Conclusion
Notes
References
26 Crunchyroll: Contested Authenticity in the Creation of Niche Brand Communities
Fandoms Vs. Brand Communities
“Authenticity” and the Anime Fandom
Negotiating Authenticity: Leveraging Cultural Representation
References
27 Viki: Governing Transnational Fandom Via Platforms
“For the Fans and By the Fans”
Governing Fans’ Labor Through Boundaries and Hierarchies
The Disruption of Offline Boundaries and Its Cultural Consequences
Conclusion
References
28 Twitch.tv: Tele-Visualizing the Arcade
Twitch
Dot
TV
Conclusion
Notes
References
Part Television Plus
29 Hulu: Negotiating National and International Streaming
For the Love of (American) TV
Hulu’s Long-Deferred Internationalization
Is Hulu Staying Put?
References
30 Hotstar: Reimagining Television Audiences in Digital India
A New STAR On the Horizon
Television and the Transnational Family
Forging a Digital Audience
Conclusion: Desperately Seeking the Audience, Again
Notes
References
31 AbemaTV: Where Broadcasting and Streaming Collide
AbemaTV: From Channel Surfing to Channel Swiping
Conclusion: Japanese Broadcast Television Swipes Right
Notes
References
32 Mango TV: The Rise of a State-Controlled Entertainer
A State–Market Hybrid
State Media Legacy and Strategic Partnership
Regulatory Risk as Creative Constraint
Conclusion
References
33 Disney+: Imagining Industrial Intertextuality
Disney Junior: Where the Intertextual Magic Began
Disney+’s Wonderful World of Character-Based Branding
Tales Over Time: Co-Viewing and Disney History
Conclusion
References
34 ESPN+: Subscribing to Diversity, Marginalizing Women’s Sports
Sports Media, ESPN, and the Symbolic Annihilation of Women’s Sports
ESPN+, Diversity, and Niche Sports Engagements
ESPN+’s Marginalization of Women’s Sports
Conclusion: The Economies of Invisibility
References
35 Peacock: Network Heritage, Olympic Dreams, and the Transformation of NBC Sports
NBC Sports, Dick Ebersol, and the Hunt for Broadcast Rights
Diversification
Rebranding
Launching Peacock, Closing NBCSN
Olympic Hopefuls?
Conclusion
Notes
References
36 HBO Max: Media Conglomerates and the Organizational Logic of Streaming
The Road to HBO Max, Part 1: Time Warner Goes Digital
The Road to HBO Max, Part 2: AT&T Takes the Reins
HBO Max…for Now
References
37 Paramount+: “Peaking” Subscriber Interest in Legacy Television Franchises
Launching New Enterprises
Sustaining a Peak
Reaching the Peak, But Stuck On It
References
Contributors
Index
