NDM case study Task 3: Up-to-the-minute web research

The third research task for your New/Digital Media independent case study is find recent online articles about your chosen industry and institution/text that give you up-to-the-minute examples, statistics and quotes.

The very nature of new and digital media means the landscape is constantly changing and examiners love seeing examples from the days and weeks leading up to the exam. 

You may want to look back at your index of NDM stories you have been collecting weekly since September - this is when finding great articles all year really pays off. Other good sources are the usual newspaper media/tech pages...

The Guardian: Digital Media 
The Guardian: Technology
The Independent: Media News

We've also been linking stories from our Twitter account all year - @blogmacguffin - so make sure you're following that and look back at what we've posted over the last couple of months too.

BBC, ITV and Channel 4 in talks to create UK streaming service

• Netflix has 8.2m subscribers in the UK and 4.3m British households are signed up to Amazon Prime Video, according to figures from the TV ratings body Barb.
• The BBC, which has traditionally dominated the UK TV and radio landscape, recently said it risked being overtaken by competitors as viewers move inexorably towards on-demand viewing. The corporation owns the UK’s biggest and most recognisable video service, iPlayer, but has conceded that 16 to 24-year-olds spend more time with Netflix in a week than with all of BBC TV, including iPlayer.
• Another option might be to revitalise a workable plan to expand BritBox and a third to launch a whole new brand and subscription video-on-demand service.
• The broadcasters understand the strategic benefits of some form of potential tie-up of their catch-up TV and on-demand services, but history says it will be fraught with difficulty.
• It is the third time in just over a decade that the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 have endeavoured to set aside decades of rivalry to join together to secure a digital future for British TV. Previous efforts to balance the commercial and public service remits they follow have proved challenging.

Sate of TV's decline

• The user behaviour that cable TV providers fear most — cord cutting — is projected to accelerate over the next five years. EMarketer estimates that by 2021, over 81 million U.S. consumers will have either cut their cords or never signed up for one in the first place, up 64 percent from today.
• It is an axiom that live sports are holding many cable bundles together. But even the structural factors that make live sports so attractive to broadcasters and advertisers are not a match for changing user behavior, and some predict those changes will start corroding live sports ratings. Research published this month by Magna Global predicts substantial ratings declines for the 2018 Olympics.

The Netflix effect: TV networks' shifting video on demand strategies

• Millennials’ hunger for video on demand is widely tipped to continue
• “In 2017, 15 per cent of the total audiences for programs such as The Bachelor Australia and The Bachelorette Australia came from online catch-up,” she said.

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/060815/how-netflix-changing-tv-industry.asp

• Netflix is currently the dominant company in the relatively young and hugely expensive on-demand media industry. By providing on-demand content, creating compelling original shows, using user data to better serve customers and letting customers consume content in the way that they prefer, Netflix is forcing cable companies to change the way they do business. In the long-run, Netflix's success may be viewed as the first step in the unbundling of cable.
• Netflix is essentially a storehouse of content, including movies, documentaries, TV shows and educational programs. Customers pay a flat monthly fee and can consume any content at any time from whichever platform they prefer. In a sense, it is the first major disruption of television, which has become the dominant medium since its inception and proliferation in the middle of the 20th century.
• Crushing The Competition
• Netflix had humble beginnings, starting as a website where people could rent DVDs online and get them through the mail. In this version of the service, it competed with television for people's entertainment time, but it competed more directly with established physical rental locations. Netflix then came out with on-demand shows, which made it superior to physical stores and television in many ways, as consumers were able to watch what they wanted, when they wanted.
• This innovation helped end the movie rental business and made it more important for cable companies and TV networks to begin offering on-demand content. Soon, Netflix began competing with TV networks directly for original content. While TV networks only approved shows based on pilots hitting certain metrics, Netflix became a more attractive destination for showrunners and script writers because it offered upfront contracts to create an entire season or two. Netflix also started uploading entire seasons at once, essentially creating the binge-watching atmosphere, in contrast to the once-a-week programming model. Many TV networks are experimenting with this model, even if it means sacrificing ad revene
• Additionally, showrunners were given leeway in being allowed to pursue their own visions without notes or approval from the network. This resulted in some of the best new TV shows being on Netflix instead of TV networks, including "House of Cards," "Orange Is the New Black" and "Daredevil." Netflix's success has forced TV networks to be more aggressive in retaining talent by paying them more generously and giving them more freedom. One source of Netflix's success and stock price appreciation has been its original content, creating a loyal user base.
• Another innovation of Netflix was to mine for user data aggressively. This data was initially sought to serve customers and help them find content that would appeal to them. However, Netflix also uses this data to determine what type of original content the company should create. This has led to Netflix having a higher success rate in manufacturing hits. Letting showrunners make decisions on content rather than business executives and finding genres and talent that the audience already likes are the key factors behind Netflix's success in taking on this entrenched industry.
• Netflix also forced the TV industry to change its ways by giving customers the flexibility to consume content in the exact way they desire based on their needs. Customers can watch the same TV show or movie on a computer, TV screen, tablet, phone or gaming device. Until a few years ago, most mainstream television could only be consumed on television. Of course, this has changed largely due to Netflix.
• The Bottom Line
• Netflix's success has been deemed an existential threat for the TV industry. Many consumers have already cut the cord from existing cable, as Netflix is 20% of the cost of most cable packages. Further, there are no cumbersome ads. Unbundling of cable is the TV networks' worst fear; they would no longer receive regular revenue from being part of a cable package. Instead, they would have to compete on their own merits. Netflix's success brings this closer to being a reality.

https://wesscholar.wesleyan.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2591&context=etd_hon_theses

• Enter: Netflix. The streaming service releases entire seasons of its shows all at once, a strategy that arguably encourages creators to reconsider or reallocate emphasis within this viewing relationship. If a show fails to woo us on episode one, the next episode is a mere 15 seconds away from starting. Why not give it the benefit of the doubt? Without a week in between each installment, the Netflix model potentially extends the courtship period. With each episode right at our fingertips, a relationship with a series that 2 requires consistent viewing no longer seems so high-maintenance. At the same time, the level of access that comes with the streaming catalog suggests that if this series disappoints us, moving on could prove to be simpler than it once was. These relationships hardly exist in a vacuum. Rather, they are subject to external forces that guide the mass medium. Technological and industrial shifts have continually modified the ways in which series are produced and delivered since the birth of television. In turn, these changes have impacted how creators tell stories and how viewers receive them. Recently, the rise of streaming has been a prominent development in the television landscape. Streaming technology has been around for some time, but the inciting force that disrupted the status quo arose through industry rather than technology. A key player came to the fore and realigned the way that people think about television
• Even before Netflix was a platform for original series, it was already changing the ways that viewers access, control, and watch television. Once just a distributor of television, it has now itself become television, offering creators a new playground upon which to experiment. In conducting these experiments, creators both reaffirm and redefine televisuality and the viewing relationship. Netflix has not fundamentally altered the face of television, but it has certainly expanded its definition, and its series have elaborated on the aesthetics of the medium. The service has simultaneously embraced television and posed itself as an alternative. By releasing its series all at once, Netflix drew a distinction from the weekly model, which had hitherto defined the viewing experience. Ushering in a new world order of television delivery, it announced the release of House of Cards with two simple words: Now streaming.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/2016/11/21/how-netflix-changed-the-way-we-watch/

• Netflix, which started out as a DVD postal delivery service in the late Nineties, doesn’t function like a traditional broadcaster. It is a game‑changer, a disruptive force that has decisively altered the way we watch television and film. There are no schedules or live shows: subscribers are simply free to stream any of Netflix’s thousands of films and series to watch when they want and where they want, whether on a traditional television, a tablet or a mobile phone.
• But Netflix, along with other video-on-demand giants such as Amazon Prime and Hulu, hasn’t just changed the way we consume television: it’s changed the way it is made. As with House of Cards – Netflix’s first foray into producing its own shows, in 2013 – all the episodes of the first series of The Crown were available to stream on the day of its launch. Not being tied to a traditional TV schedule means that the lengths of Netflix episodes can vary to suit the plotline. It’s less important to end on a cliffhanger, because you can just binge-watch a whole load of episodes at once. It’s a formula that’s been vastly successful, with 80 million worldwide subscribers and rising. (The BBC and ITV are rumoured to be working together on launching “Britflix” in response.)
• Subscribers mean data. And the more subscribers Netflix gets, the more data it amasses – what we watch, when we watch, which episodes get us hooked, even when we hit the rewind button to watch a scene again.

http://fortune.com/2016/03/11/netflix-changing-game-network-tv/

• Networks are changing the way they develop and release new shows, and even commercials, as they seek to adapt to new TV viewing habits and profit from the “binge-watching” made popular by video streaming services like Netflix
• TV executives are also working with advertisers to change commercials, so binging viewers stay engaged. Experiments include making brands part of the show on Turner
• The changes reflect a realisation that fewer people, particularly younger viewers, watch shows when they air and instead binge-watch series like Netflix’s House of Cards or Orange is the New Black.
• “The streaming platforms have created a more competitive environment and we all need to deliver better,” said David Levy, president of Turner.

http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/netflix-tv-ratings-decline-2015-1201721672/

• Netflix is leaving an indelible mark on the TV biz — and while the streaming giant isn’t dealing a fatal blow to the industry, it is seriously cutting into traditional television ratings.

• In 2015, Netflix accounted for about half of the overall 3% decline in TV viewing time among U.S. audiences, according to a new study by Michael Nathanson of MoffettNathanson. The analyst calculated that based on an estimate that Netflix’s domestic subs streamed 29 billion hours of video last year (Netflix said members worldwide watched 42.5 billion hours in 2015). That would represent 6% of total American live-plus-7 TV viewing reported by Nielsen (up from 4.4% in 2014).

• Moreover, Nathanson predicts Netflix’s total streaming hours as a percentage of TV viewing will continue to rise to about 14% by 2020. “Currently, Netflix is a source of industry pain, but not necessarily a cause of industry death,” he wrote in the note.
• not all TV networks are suffering from the rise of Netflix and other streaming-video services, Nathanson noted. Total viewing of networks from Time Warner, Scripps Networks Interactive, AMC Networks and Discovery Communications rose in 2015. A+E Networks’ viewing hours declined 15%, Viacom fell 13%, and NBCUniversal and Disney each dropped 5% overall.
• In comparing TV viewing of Netflix vs. non-Netflix households, broadcast networks took the biggest hit in 2015. CBS viewing among Netflix subs was 42% lower than non-subs, with Fox at -35%, ABC at -32% and NBC at -27%, according to Nathanson’s analysis.
• Meanwhile, viewing time of Disney’s networks last year was 11% higher in Netflix homes versus non-Netflix homes. Viacom saw a “modest” 5% year-over-year drop in Netflix homes; in that case, “it is unclear if this is as a result of viewership which has already been negatively impacted by SVOD services in prior years, or if the company’s younger-skewing viewers are switching back and forth more easily to watch both linear television and SVOD services,” Nathanson wrote.
• Based on viewing time, Netflix in 2015 was bigger than smaller cable programmers like A+E and AMC, but not as large as the seven biggest conglomerates (NBCUniversal, Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, 21st Century Fox, Discovery and CBS).
• One caveat on the analysis: Nielsen’s Live+7 excludes online and mobile viewing on TV networks’ sites and apps. But Nielsen hours-viewed numbers adjust for co-viewing, whereas Netflix’s reported data is per household. According to Nathanson, that means Netflix per-person viewing is underrepresented relative to Nielsen Live+7; thus, the analyst assumes the two factors largely cancel each other out.
• Other studies have compared Netflix’s viewing to traditional TV. The service was on track to attract a larger 24-hour audience than each of the major broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC) some time in 2016, per an analysis last summer by FBR Capital Markets.

https://one.rawnet.com/blog/the-netflix-effect-the-positive-impact-on-british-broadcasting

• There have been a lot of articles in the news recently about the negative impact of SVOD platforms such as Netflix and Amazon on the traditional broadcasting market – particularly their impact on original British content. Earlier this week, the BBC Director General, Tony Hall, warned that British content is under “serious threat” from such platforms as investment in the industry shifts towards the more expensive content more likely to attract audiences of global size. While there is no doubt that the rise of SVOD platforms is leading to a shift in the broadcast market, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s all doom and gloom.
• Many people foresee a future where Netflix, Amazon & Apple reign supreme. Millennials, in particular, are seemingly champions of Netflix, with original content such as Orange is the New Black, Narcos & Stranger Things becoming viral (and don’t pretend you don’t know what ‘Netflix and Chill’ means). However, a recent report by Mediatique, commissioned by the BBC, found that traditional Pay TV penetration in the UK has actually increased by 15% over the last 10 years, despite the rise of mega players like Netflix. Furthermore, their research indicated that services like Netflix and Amazon are “seen as largely additive, as opposed to substitutive”¹ in simple terms, UK Sky customers aren’t going to leave in favour of Netflix, they’re going to get a subscription alongside their current package. Netflix will not monopolise the market, they’ll simply complement what’s already there.
• Ofcom itself noted that spend on first-run UK content from all the PSBs was still below what it was a decade ago, so if anything that’s where the deficit has come from – not from pay-TV companies and subscription streaming players, who are actually upping their investment in Britain’s production sector.

https://one.rawnet.com/blog/has-the-netflix-model-peaked/

• As the Netflix model redefines everything in its path, we question its longevity and shine the beacon of hope for the well-established traditional players in the market, currently suffering from unprecedented bidding wars for TV's best content.
• Its rise to success has been rapid, and if we're all honest took us a bit by surprise. Perhaps we were all a little slow to react to new consumer behaviours, ploughing far too much faith into traditional viewing habits that we thought were here to stay because hey,  binge-watching and a total lack of channel brand loyalty is probably just a phase, or at least only exciting to a select few early adopters.
• We get it, Netflix is disruptive, and you don't need to be Warren Buffet to understand what happened. What we want to highlight here is some growing evidence of market correction - and question whether the sustainability of today's TV market is even possible. We all need to think about fresh ideas on how we sell and market TV shows, but we don't all have to suffer in the wake of destruction either.
• Netflix buys more than $6bn of content per year, consistently outbidding TV networks for the best scripts and formats. It paid off - 91 Emmy nominations, second only to HBO, the cable channel that is synonymous with TV awards. This, of course, raises the very valid question of sustainability - its cash flow deficit sits at $2bn, compared to $1.7bn last year. It did, however, add 3.7m non-US subscribers in the first quarter of 2017. This is a big gamble that's rocking the whole market. Everyone else has to make a profit on their shows, Netflix is happy to run at a loss in the hope that subscriber churn remains low - investing now, throwing everything out of whack, to grow its brand.
• But we are at the peak. Earlier this month Netflix announced it's hiking prices by a dollar to $10.99 a month for new users in Canada, then the same for existing users a few weeks later.

• Disney has just said it would remove its content from Netflix, and then launch its own direct-to-consumer service. They're not the first, and certainly won't be the last. While these single subscription-based services are cheap compared to cable and satellite package subscriptions, Netflix will see competition as more mainstream media take to streaming.
  By breaking it down and realising it's not just the content that's part of its success, which we've just highlighted as unsustainable anyway, there's still the threat that streaming services have totally redefined how audiences think about linear TV and advertising. There are three reasons, therefore, which if we look at separately, show the mammoth can be tamed.
  1. High-quality content
  2. Streaming on demand
  3. No adverts
  The first one isn't sustainable for the current subscription price. Consumers will either see a drop in quality or a hike in prices. The second two are replaceable, as we're seeing with Disney.
• Cable cutting is very much a thing. Gone are the days where we pay £60 a month to watch 2% of the available content - paying for an inflexible bundle that viewers are simply no longer prepared to accept. We lived with it previously as the means by which content arrived was via the provider of the bundle, be that a satellite or cable, but the internet removes our reliance on such technology an gives us more choice. While we still might spend £60 a month per household on TV, it'll be made up of all our favourite subscriptions, Netflix, HBO, ITV Hub and Disney for example. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/ianmorris/2017/06/13/netflix-is-now-bigger-than-cable-tv/#1dbe21ed158b

• Netflix has, for the first time, surpassed cable in total subscribers according to Leichtman Research. US cable companies have 48.61 million subscribers while Netflix has just hit 50.85 million. The numbers don't count minor cable networks, which could in themselves amount to 5% of total cable customers.
• For many this won't be a surprise. Let's be honest, with Netflix having doubled its subscriber base - adding 27 million subs - over the last five years there was always going to come a time when it beat other services.
• And the good news for cable is that this isn't having a massively detrimental effect on their numbers either. While cable subs are down by 4 million in the same five years that Netflix has seen huge growth, that's not a massive drop off. It's also worth bearing in mind that cable TV makes up only 50% of total TV viewership in pay TV. That said, Q1 2017 shows a net loss in subscriptions while Q1 2016 saw cable grow a little.
• Satellite TV is doing okay, with around 38 million subscribers. Dish Network added 318,000 customers in Q1 with Direct TV stalling with gains that didn't outpace customer loses. Satellite is still growing faster than cable though.
• Faster still though are the internet-delivered services like Sling TV and Direct TV now which have added 350,000 in Q1. These services now have 1.7 million customers between them, and it's likely that this segment will continue to see growth as customers move away from cable TV.
• In total there are 93,319,187 subscribers to cable, satellite and internet streaming services in the US, which account for 95% of pay TV viewers. Netflix certainly isn't going to hit 100m US subscriptions anytime soon, and it's likely that it will hit a wall of some sort eventually. But if the service continues to improve and offer diverse programming it's likely that customers will feel as I do - that it's worth the modest monthly fee to have access to a library of great content.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/oct/16/is-golden-age-tv-over-netflix-shows-cable-television

• There has never been a better time to be a couch potato: an endless stream of shows, old and new, delivered online without pricey cable or satellite packages. Critics have called it TV’s golden age, but some analysts say “peak television” is coming to an end.
• Money is the root of TV’s problems. In the US, where the TV economy is headquartered, TV and internet access costs two to three times what it does in the UK, and networks are in a tug-of-war with Americans, who are increasingly shredding steep cable bills in favor of Netflix and streaming services. This summer, many networks became locked in all-out legal battles with cash-strapped cable companies, with multibillion-dollar distribution deals at stake to fund those networks’ huge programming budgets.
• Executives are planning for a less luxurious future, in which TV shows may be briefer, lower-budget and filled with the kind of product-placement ads that audiences hate and advertisers pay for. Worse still, the company that started much of the trouble may soon confront flaws in its own business model.
• Netflix needs the money that increased scale would provide, in part, to pay top dollar for shows such as Arrested Development and Lost. In January, it told investors it owed $10.9bn in TV show licenses alone, with $4.7bn of that due this year. After that, almost the entire balance is due before the end of 2018.
• Netflix will have to keep buying reruns at what will almost certainly be increasing rates if it wants to retain its users, and the companies selling those shows are now in a tight spot too – largely thanks to the ad-free Netflix model

NDM case study Task 2: Media Factsheet research

You'll find the archive on the Media Shared drive:

M:\Resources\A Level\Media Factsheets

112 Netflix Factsheet

• Netflix, Inc. is an American based company providing on-demand Internet streaming media to North and South America, Scandinavia, the Caribbean and UK & Ireland. In the United States they also provide a DVD-by-mail service much like LOVEFilm in the UK. The company was established in 1997, and began their DVD-distributions in 1999
• They were not launched in the UK as a service until 2012, although awareness of the brand grew as a result of their success in streaming original programming and support of independent film distribution. They describe their institution as “the world’s leading internet television network” and much of their development has impacted audience consumption of television.
• VOD is the acronym used for video on demand. This simply refers to the on demand streaming of moving image texts. On-demand streaming media involves a constant transmission of data via the internet. This data is constantly being presented to the end user (the audience member) and the data is available for immediate playback, rather than as a file download. The process offers much faster consumption of data, as long as the internet connection speed is strong. When streaming, applications can display the data before the entire file has downloaded, increasing consumption speed for the user.

Company Timeline

• 2000 – Netflix launches their personalised recommendation system that uses the ratings of existing Netflix users to predict choices for all Netflix users.
• 2002 – Netflix makes initial public offering on the Nasdaq.
• 2006 – Netflix launches the Netflix Prize, pledging $1 million to the first person or team who can reach certain accuracy goals in recommending films based on personal preferences. The company releases 100 million anonymous film ratings ranging from one to five stars, the largest such data set ever released.
• 2010 – The Netflix Prize is discontinued due to privacy concerns linked to the data that was released.
• 2012 – Netflix launches in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Nordics.
• October 2012 - Netflix wins first Primetime Emmy Engineering Award.
• February 2013 - Netflix original series House of Cards launches.
• September 2013 - House of Cards wins three Primetime Emmy Awards
• October 2013 - Netflix now has over 40 million members globally

• Like Northern Europe’s LOVEFilm, Netflix requires users to subscribe to the service via the company website. The user pays a monthly fee, and can then stream unlimited films and TV programmes instantly. Netflix offer the streaming across a range of devices, including TVs and tablets. Netflix also allows users to log into multiple devices, meaning that login details can be shared within family or friendship groups. Netflix also encourages users to rate the programmes and films they stream, enabling Netflix to make recommendations to the user
• The streaming market is increasingly competitive, as the technologies used to stream VoD become ubiquitous within society. DVD rental shops have lost their market share, with many going into administration (Blockbusters being a notable recent case). Alongside Netflix, users have various options including LOVEFilm, Amazon Instant Streaming, NOW TV (Sky TV’s offering), as well as the more independent Mubu and Curzon On Demand. Netflix seeks to maintain its popularity with subscribers through increased personalisation.

• Previously, Netflix relied upon the user ratings to enable personalised recommendations for the subscriber. However, the algorithms used to generate these recommendations did not take into consideration that one login is likely to be used by a wide ranging audience of differing tastes, ages and interests. For example, within a family household one login may be used to stream Disney-animations for the 8 year child, romantic comedies for the teenage daughter, and House of Cards for the parents. This has resulted in various entertaining recommendations (now catalogued by Twitter feed @BadNetflixRecs). This will enable the institution to make more informed choices about films and TV programmes to offer. “The way we’re using that data is to keep [subscribers] happy. And the way to keep [subscribers] happy is to let them watch more stuff,” (Todd Yellin, Netflix).

• Netflix has just introduced a free profile system, where users can create up to five profiles on one subscription. The intention is to offer greater individual personalisation rather than the household personalisation that the previous system offered. Personalisation is a key element to the success of Netflix, as they need to keep existing users happy as well as attract new users. According to Todd Yellin, Netflix’s vice president of product innovation, 75-80% of what users watch on Netflix comes from recommendations, as opposed to searched programmes. Offering audiences the increased personalisation offers the gratifications of personal identity and social interaction (Blumler & Katz), as users feel that they are able to tailor media schedules to their own tastes, while still participating in a viewing community through the rating and recommendations. The profiles will enable Netflix to gather more detailed information about its subscribers and their viewing habits.
• Netflix has also lead the way in developing VoD services through their acquisition of original content for distribution. This began with webisodes of the horror series Splatter (2009) which received mixed reviews for Joe Dante’s direction of Corey Feldman in the lead role of Jonny Splatter. From this point Netflix took a 3 year break, coming back with the Norwegian-American comedy-drama series, Lilyhammer, and crime series, The Ropes. The altered approach to content proved popular with audiences, and led to Netflix licensing the rights to House of Cards in 2012.

• House of Cards, whose entire first season of 13 episodes, premiered on 1 February 2013, is a political episodic drama starring Kevin Spacey, with David Fincher (The Social Network, 2010) directing. The credentials of this partnership enabled Netflix to establish their brand as a leading on-demand television network. The series was exclusively available on Netflix, encouraging audiences to subscribe. The move away from the traditional model of on-demand streaming, and the episodic nature of the programme established audience loyalty that was more predictable than previously experienced. Netflix purchased the rights initially to 26 full episodes prior to production commencing, and the deal was rumoured to be $100 million. This sum is not alien to traditional institutions when producing TV dramas – ITV1’s Downton Abbey cost £1m per episode, a cost which was recouped through advertising revenues. However, it is important to note the distinct difference in the distribution model of Netflix, as opposed to other institutions that utilise on-demand streaming.
• Following the success of House of Cards, Netflix have developed and replicated the model; Hemlock Grove is a horror thriller which premiered 19 April 2013, with all 13 episodes being immediately available to watch online. The genre of horror thriller engages the audiences’ desire to resolve the enigmas, so they are likely to watch 2 or 3 episodes at once. Here again we see the increase in audience loyalty to the Netflix brand.

• Future of Television? Netflix have established a new and secure model for on-demand internet streaming of television products. Netflix have made it known that they are keen to develop their own content rather than bulk-buying in existing content; current contracts with Nickelodeon and MTV do not look as if they will be renewed. The bulk of British television on-demand is focused on catch-up, although there have been some forays into online exclusive premieres – namely Bad Education and Some Girls, both BBC3 – and the comedy Impractical Jokers was commissioned by BBC3 following an online pilot. In this way, it may seem as if on-demand streaming may offer an extension to the viewing experience, as opposed to its immediate death.

164 Television Drama Factsheet

• With BBC 3’s move to an online only platform, and the rise in the popularity of streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, the form 
• and content of the serial drama is likely to evolve further. As audiences consume content in different ways serial dramas may become more 
• diverse and targeted toward niche groups. Online programme makers are starting to create more short form content, leading to drama serials 
• that run for much less than 60, or even, 30 minutes. Interactivity is a key feature on non-scripted programming, but how far might it play a part 
• in serialized drama?

NDM case study Task 1: Media Magazine research

Use our Media Magazine archive and the Word document with the contents page for each issue to search for relevant articles. The original case study structure and task list is here -  Here's a great example from previous year. 

Notes and Quotes – Section: Media Magazine

MM30

• Visit 4docs. Here you can see some of the most promising short-form documentary in a wide variety styles (biographical, comic, animation, experimental); monitor a wiki packed with practical advice about making and distributing films; and even enter occasional competitions, some offering cash prizes and potential TV screenings. Once such opportunities were limited to film school students and professionals, but in our (arguably) more democratic world there’s no reason why your film illustrating an extraordinary life, an unusual lifestyle or curiosity you’ve come across couldn’t make the grade.

Change in the way film can be produced – different way to get into film curation.

• The documentary form has come a long way since the pioneering films of John Grierson in the 1930s. Grierson’s film-making evidenced a strong public service ethos, and had an emphasis on education and raising awareness, rather than entertainment values.
• Critics often point to the dreaded ‘dumbing down’ debate when discussing recent documentaries, suggesting the documentary form has been tabloidised with a stronger emphasis on sensationalism and voyeurism in order to make them more palatable to mass audiences.
• To get your head around the complex idea of cinematic realism, awareness of the fourth wall represents a useful way in. By highlighting the odd unreality of film, cinematic artists can make us laugh, frighten us, and at times make us think; but their demolition of realism is never dull because it is in such moments that we glimpse the true nature of film.

MM31

• To the purist, fantasy cinema is a discrete genre – one that combines aspects of fairy-tale, folk lore and magical imagined worlds resulting in such films as The Wizard of Oz (1939) or The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-3). Such clear-cut definitions often end with the declaration that, while fantasy is usually considered separate from horror and science-fiction, there are significant overlaps.
• The great thing about ‘fantasy’ films (for the purposes of this timeline assumed to take in horror, suspense, and sci-fi) – is that at their best they are always symbolic. At times where direct engagement with society’s cultural, political and sexual fault-lines on-screen is either impossible due to censorship or audience resistance, their presence can be detected in the sub-text of the best fantasy films.
• Postmodernism and the self-conscious urge to pastiche also influences fantasy film-making. Scream (1999) and its successors all boast a kind of ‘clever-two-shoes’ genre-knowingness that typifies the age, and has proven a boon to Media Studies teachers the world over. The internet proves that new forms of online viral communication can generate a buzz about a film despite its beyond-humble budget. The Blair Witch Project (1999) was the first film to exploit the net in this manner, and will not be the last – witness Cloverfield (2008).

MM32

• The impact of online media, cross-platform and e-media marketing techniques on the development of comedy cinema
• ·The role of film comedy, both national and global, in constructing ideas of collective identity.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is an American comedy-drama television series created and primarily written by Aaron Sorkin. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip ran on NBC for 22 episodes, from September 18, 2006 to June 28, 2007. It is Aaron Sorkin's only TV show not to air for more than one season.

• ·So why did Studio 60 fail? It was certainly innovative and culturally and contextually relevant. As to whether it was funny or not, that, as always, is a matter of personal taste. But consider this – perhaps Studio 60 didn’t fail. Perhaps it was a show that was out of step with the evolution of TV. Audience viewing habits have changed beyond all recognition due to the availability of on-demand TV and digital recording and streaming. Viewers can watch shows when it suits them, and issues like time slot winners, overnight ratings and shareholder/advertising pressure (ironically, issues discussed in Studio 60) could completely change. It’s an interesting twist that Studio60 was the top ‘time-shifted’ show at the time it aired (in other words, viewers were recording and watching it at their leisure), a fact which never filtered through into the main ratings. Eventually, perhaps, those responsible for compiling ratings data will incorporate this increasingly important statistical group into their ratings assessments. In the end, Studio 60 may eventually be considered a classic which was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
• ·The British film industry has also been influenced. Although there has always been an independent tradition in British cinema, the recent British success of Slumdog Millionaire (dir. Danny Boyle, 2008) has demonstrated the thriving popularity of Indie films. 

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•  Elinor Block evaluates the ways new technologies have transformed the media industries, their processes and products; and Peter Block draws on his life in television to debate whether they are intrinsically creative, or simply tools to enhance or exploit creativity.
•  that technology is creatively neutral and yet can provide a vehicle for new expressions of creativity.
• You can no longer assume that you will just hand over a recording for the editor to edit or for the sound recordists to do their job. The truth of the matter is now that we are all now producers and directors of our own material.

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• Over the past decade there has been a change in attitude by the BBFC towards the classification of films. Back in the 1980s it seems censorship was tough in Britain. But in 2009 the BBFC passed Antichrist (Lars Von Trier, 2009), a hugely controversial work which would seem inappropriate for an audience, ‘18’ uncut. Is this more liberal approach specific BBFC policy, or is it just a reaction to the attitudes you already feel are present in society?
• Classification has changed over the years, just as society has changed. All our decisions now are based on published Guidelines which in turn are based on public opinion and law. It is important that our decisions reflect the view of the British public and their concerns. There have been shifts, some of which might appear more liberal, for example an increasingly strong belief that adults should be free to watch what they like within the law, and others, which reflect increased societal concerns (for example about racist language, or language and behaviour which might be discriminatory against minority or vulnerable groups). Additionally, the Human Rights Act made it important for us to be proportionate and justify any intervention, which means we avoid cutting or rejecting anything simply because.
• The last decade has seen a controversial movement of ‘real sex’ films including 9 Songs (Michael Winterbottom, 2004), Anatomy Of Hell (Catherine Breillat, 2004) and Shortbus (John Cameron Mitchell, 2006). These films featured unsimulated and graphic scenes of sex.
• Many people are still unaware of the board and their decisions.
• Rob McInnes explores the ways in which media products are continually reinvented, recycled, and re-purposed in the interests of ‘change’ – and why producers use so many terms beginning with ‘re’.
• if you’ve come across terms such as ‘Web 2.0’ and ‘We Media’ you’ll be familiar with the notion that the media is undergoing a period of unprecedented change. The gist of both of these concepts rests on the idea that the power of large media corporations is being challenged by the ever-increasing participatory power of individual members of the public.
• Tim Berners-Lee has described as largely superficial. He says he had always envisaged the internet as an essentially democratic and interactive medium.
• Over recent years media development has been rapid and convergence has become the centre of modern life. With products such as the iPhone offering multiple devices in one, the audience has come to expect ease and accessibility. Modern audiences are used to having all their desired technology at their fingertips in one product, and this has greatly affected audience consumption. Audience demand has now been met. Now we not only choose when but also where we consume our entertainment
• · These changes in online media technology have successfully met the demands of audience consumption; however, it is also important to consider the possible impact of this on audience behaviour. Over-accessibility may change why the audience chooses to consume in the first place; where once there was a desire to see something that was a novelty and share it with friends and family members, the audience now constantly demands something new, and often watches it in isolation.
• The argument that television has lost its entertainment value can be challenged by further recent changes in audience behaviour. The internet has enabled audiences to become involved in media production, with websites allowing them not only to leave feedback and suggestions, but in some cases actually create the content. It could be argued that for some, advances in media have enabled previously impossible opportunities for interaction with the industry. Looking at current consumer trends it appears that the internet is at the forefront and the television may become obsolete.
• we want to make our content available when and where consumers want it as stated by ITV (MSN News, 2010)

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• Contemporary culture is media-saturated. 
• Entertainment is available anywhere and anytime. 
• From on-demand TV, the apparently infinite 
• nature of the internet and mobile technology, 
• contemporary culture is arguably running the 
• risk of over-stimulation and the impact of 
• our reliance on technology for entertainment 
• and social interaction is often questioned. It is 
• frequently argued that over-stimulation could lead 
• to extreme desensitisation

On Tarantino's style of film:  

• This film-maker’s work, for instance, can be 
• seen to reflect a general mainstreaming of 
• artistic style and aesthetics – often dealing 
• explicitly with the borrowing of images from the 
• mass media.

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• But irrespective of these pleasures, with 
• so much quality TV available to us via 
• platforms such as Netflix, Now TV and 
• Amazon Prime, it is increasingly unlikely 
• that audiences will continue to follow 
• a traditional schedule, watching four 
• episodes at set times throughout the 
• week, no matter how much escapism 
• they may provide. 
• The television industry (unlike the 
• music industry) has been pro-active
• I remember watching the very first episode gathered in the living room with my family. I also remember the soaps that have come and gone – Brookside, Albion Market and the infamous Eldorado. But audiences don’t watch TV in the same way they used to, and there is more competition than ever for our free time. Soap operas can also seem like an outdated format. So when the audience is becoming increasingly fragmented
• I can choose the podcasts that I want to listen to, setting my phone or PC to update the feed from each show so that I never miss an episode. I can stack episodes so that I can listen to a whole series in one hit (like Netflix) or I can listen to an episode at a time. The point is that I am in control of what I listen to; selecting from thousands of podcasts uploaded to the internet from all over the world, and the power of my smartphone or tablet means that I can listen to them wherever I want. 
• as the landscape changes permanently and streaming becomes the norm.

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• 26.2 million unique UK viewers watched 
• Kate and Wills wed live across five host 
• channels (BBC1, ITV1, Sky News, Sky Living, 
• and the BBC News channel) – fewer than for 
• 1981. BUT ... with modern online coverage 
• factored in, BBC statistics suggest that iPlayer 
• and online streaming pushed UK figures past 
• 34 million – even though BBC streams crashed 
• due to an overload of viewers attempting to 
access coverage.
• One certainty was that this Royal Wedding was 
• the first to provide extensive online coverage. It 
• was a true example of multimedia convergence. 
• The wedding itself was broadcast live on 
• YouTube as well as the major television channels. 
• YouTube also hosted an interactive greetings 
• book for well wishers to post videos to the newly 
• weds. 
• The coverage also championed the use of the 
• smart phone and mobile devices with internet 
• capabilities. Whilst watching the ceremony I was 
• able instantly to download the wedding music 
• from iTunes. Google maps had a live interactive 
• map of the procession route and for your 
• iPod and iPhone there was an App to explore 
• Westminster Abbey and find out about the venue 
• of the wedding. 
• Social media was also teeming with news 
• about the Royal Wedding, with the topic trending 
• all across Twitter.

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• the media conglomerate 
• ultimately owned by Rupert Murdoch which 
• manages publishing, film, television and new 
• media interests across the globe.

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• course ultimately TV executives are just happy if we’re watching at all – as long as we’re doing it through legitimate channels rather than streaming

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• Media audiences of the past are often characterised as being passive recipients of the information and entertainment that was handed down by media institutions. In our modern media world, audiences are thought to be much more active and media institutions actively encourage audience participation.
• the power traditionally held by media institutions is being shared with audiences 
• who are able to participate in the construction 
• and development of media texts.
• With the audience scattering across so many platforms, TV’s cultural function as provider of shared experiences is put ever more at risk.

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• 50 years after its independence India no longer looks to Britain for much at all. The country has one of the world’s fastest growing economies and Bollywood remains the biggest film industry in the world. Hollywood produces 500 films per year on average and has a worldwide audience of 2.6 billion whereas Bollywood produces more than 1000 (not consistently) films every year and has a worldwide audience of 3 billion. In terms of viewership, Bollywood overtook Hollywood in 2004 and has been leading ever since.
• The term ‘chick flick’ is frequently used to 
• describe a female-targeted romance film, 
• often criticised for its lightweight themes, 
• formulaic plot-lines and repetitive use 
• of predictable and somewhat exhausted 
• clichés. The assumption that female- 
• targeted films are essentially bad, lower 
• budget and perform poorly at the box office 
• continues to exist, in what is still perceived 
• as an inherently male-centred film industry. 
• However, recent developments within the 
• genre would suggest that the boundaries 
• of the ‘chick flick’ are changing with surprise 
• box office hit Bridesmaids (2011, Feig) 
• hailed as a turning point for the genre. The 
• film destabilises gender conventions, upsets 
• generic rules and challenges audiences, 
• providing a rich source of media debate in 
• its search for new ground. 
• Hailed as a ‘feminist milestone’ and 
• a ‘benchmark for female comedy’,
• a negative representation is better than no representation at all and that new media offers the under-represented a chance to gain some power in the media landscape.

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• The great British summertime has a new tradition – pop-up cinema. All over the country independent exhibitors are screening movies both new and old, sometimes in the unlikeliest of settings, and film fans are finding an alternative to the ordinary multiplex viewing experience.
• With this emphasis on social consciousness the whole experience adds up to something more alternative and rewarding than your usual trip to the mainstream cinema.
• while film is great in the cinema  
  and at home, it can be enjoyed in countless other 
  scenarios and venues. We set up Pop-up Cinema to 
  facilitate creative, non-traditional modes of exhibition. 
  Through Pop-up, our films have screened in car parks, poly-
  tunnels, gardens, boardrooms, classrooms,
  living rooms community centres, [and] pubs.
• The role of personal 
• relationships and personal 
• identity in Fandom is 
• clear: one of the main 
• reasons to join the fan 
• community is to meet 
• other enthusiasts and 
• share our interests. The 
• internet and social media 
make this easy.

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• But media technologies are changing 
• rapidly. In the last ten years, we have seen 
• the introduction of broadband and social 
• networking including the ubiquitous 
• Twitter. We carry Kindles and iPads; use 
• Wi-Fi, 3G (and now 4G) to access on 
• demand services such as 4OD, iPlayer 
• and Sky Go at home and on the move. 
• Netflix, LOVEFiLM, UltraViolet, Spotify and 
• iTunes have changed the way we access 
• music, television and film.
• When your favourite TV show is dropped from the schedules, what can you do? Within a week of the axe falling on BBC2’s The Hour (BAFTA-nominated 1950s-set TV newsroom drama with starry cast), 13,000 had petitioned the BBC to bring it back. But will such audience-activism have any influence? Well, fan protest saved BBC6 Music, Not Going Out and Being Human – but not Dr Who Confidential, despite a petition with 57,700 signatures. The Beeb often maintains a lofty distance from fan forums, but in America they’re seriously influential, bringing back Star Trek, Arrested Development and Family Guy after they were axed. And now that companies such as Netflix, YouTube and Microsoft are commissioning their own content, they will be watching fan responses very carefully to exploit the proven popularity of de-commissioned shows to build their own audiences. Netflix is already screening its own remake of acclaimed 1990s British political drama House of Cards, and new self-made series of Lillyhammer and Arrested Development, as well as original new series Bad Samaritans and Hemlock Grove. So if you want to save a favourite programme, fight for your right to view by contributing to forums, fansites and chatrooms. The BBC may be a hard nut to crack, but Netflix, Amazon or YouTube might just be listening in...
• All of these technologies and online facilities have altered the way texts are produced, how they are distributed and their availability. Technology has changed the way we view, access, buy, store and exchange media products. The idea of the immediacy and impermanence of a TV programme – broadcast once and gone (pretty much) forever – is no longer relevant.
• 
  

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• The first consideration is the range of 
• options open to anyone with a fast 
• broadband connection and an up-to- 
• date computer system. There are many
• ways to access films online, ranging from 
• the big brands like iTunes, LoveFilm 
• and Netflix, with both fixed prices and 
• subscription rates for rental or download, 
• through to the pirate operations that  
• offer bit-torrent downloads. The latter are, 
• of course, illegal, which we can’t condone 
• – but we must consider whether the thrill 
• of watching something illegally acquired 
• actually becomes part of the reading 
• experience. This is also linked to the sense 
• of superiority we tend to feel if we see 
• something before everyone else, or our 
• smugness when we get to see something 
• for free that we know many people have 
• paid to watch.
• But media technologies are changing 
• rapidly. In the last ten years, we have seen 
• the introduction of broadband and social 
• networking including the ubiquitous 
• Twitter. We carry Kindles and iPads; use 
• Wi-Fi, 3G (and now 4G) to access on 
• demand services such as 4OD, iPlayer 
• and Sky Go at home and on the move. 
• Netflix, LOVEFiLM, UltraViolet, Spotify and 
• iTunes have changed the way we access 
• music, television and film.

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• "approximately 2.2 billion people around the world are connected to the internet."
• "large balloons fitted with radio antenna devices which were released into the air to float above rural areas of New Zealand without access to the internet,"
• "In a sense the world becomes more accessible, and people are enriched by getting to know and understand it better."
• "Increased choice and opportunities empower people, while access to information can enhance not only the ability to make informed decisions but even the democratic process."
• "...the impact of digital technologies in an online age."

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• Netflix binge
• many prefer to watch/stream box sets on services like Netflix and view on devices such as tablets, laptops and smart phones, or TV catch- up, rather than watching it live on the box with the rest of the family.

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• Today’s multiplexes are the main provider of cinematic entertainment in the UK: by the end of 2015, the UK had 4,046 screens in 751 cinemas, 316 of which were multiplexes. Netflix and other online subscription models of exhibition may be growing fast, but the multiplexes are still holding their own in a very volatile market.

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• Marvel has also used the internet to solve the problem of maximising audiences without compromising content. The Disney deal brought success, but required films to be ‘family friendly’, thus, restricting the potential use of adult themes and grittier superheroes. Then along came Netflix, the internet distributor, and Marvel recognised a solution to its problem. In 2012 the two companies made a deal to form their own universe, which has since brought us the well- received TV shows Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage, which, alongside the upcoming Iron Fist, are moving towards a team-up series titled The Defenders. Netflix has provided the perfect platform; it does not release ratings, and its focus is not about the number of people watching, but about building a brand and a subscriber-base– and Marvel can provide exactly that.

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• "The dominance of tech companies is a sign of the times; companies that rely on ‘old media’, such as newspapers, are in trouble." 
• Within a multi-platform world where 
• audiences not only have access to a 
• vast TV schedule, but also an extensive 
• library on streaming platforms, as 
• well as access to an infinite amount 
• of information, such high and specific 
• expectations mean it is necessary 
• for Westworld to present an exciting, 
• enigmatic narrative that stands 
• out in a saturated market. Perhaps 
• though it’s more than just standing 
• out; perhaps you have to give the 
• audience ownership of the narrative 
• twists and invite them into the story.

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• With the likes of Amazon, Netflix 
• and paid-for on-demand services, the 
• landscape is changing and they are the 
• future of the whole idea of planning 
• your own viewing. They don’t want to 
be dictated to about when to watch.

• Television news is still arguably the most powerful way of influencing public opinion,

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• 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.
• Digitisation, and the ability to distribute texts via the Internet, meant that technology companies could challenge traditional broadcasters. For example, Amazon (originally an online book seller) is now producing its own ‘television’ programmes. In doing this it followed Netflix, which began as a postal DVD service, in ‘liberating’ television programmes from broadcasters’ schedules with on-demand viewing. Netflix understood their business was distributing audiovisual texts and so realised that it needed to create its own online subscription service. Traditional distributors of DVDs, like the shop Blockbuster, went bust after broadband connections facilitated video streaming. Even more cannily Netflix also understood that it would need to produce its own content because the traditional media companies would eventually realise that they could set up their own Internet distribution networks.
• Disney, for example, has 
• withdrawn all its content from Netflix 
for distribution on its own channel.
• Next year Netflix plans to spend $8bn on original material
• Netflix has become ubiquitous; 
• even the phrase ‘Netflix and chill’ has 
• become an internet meme and entered 
• the vernacular in many places. The 
• company is, however, highly indebted 
• (maybe up to $20bn) and does not 
• have, like traditional media companies, 
• other sources of revenue.
• In 2016 Netflix simultaneously launched its service in 130 new countries, bringing its total to 190 
• House of Cards marks a significant shift away 
• from the ways TV has traditionally been viewed. 
• Netflix’s streaming monthly-subscription service 
• (founded in 1997) allows viewers to ‘binge’ on 
• as many episodes as they wish in one sitting. No 
• longer do audiences have to wait a week until the 
• next episode, meaning that the episodes are jam-
• packed and fast-paced to keep viewers transfixed. 
• Kevin Spacey supported the decision to release 
• all of the episodes at once, believing that this 
• type of release pattern would be increasingly 
• common with TV shows.

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• Netflix is currently the most popular 
• online streaming platform and an 
• apparently unstoppable force when 
• it comes to knowing what content 
• audiences want to consume.