Stranger Things - Industries Essay
Yes, television is branching out to a more global audience rather than sticking to national enterprises. New TV giants like Netflix and Amazon are monopolizing the market, the content they produce shifts from country to country. For example, if you were using Netflix in Spain you'd have access to Netflix Originals alongside some Spanish series and movies which you probably wouldn't have in the UK. This could be seen as a threat towards national broadcasters, for example the BBC. Netflix isn't a company that would invest in British industries.
Netflix now has more rivals such as Disney+ and Apple TV. This led Netflix to then invested a lot of money on Netflix films/TV shows. In 2018 they aimed for about 700 new original shows. The budget for Stranger Things season one was about $6 Million; a lot of this went into casting such as Winona Ryder, the older famous actors cost more than the younger ones as they were more well-known. Production details and special effects also come into account. When season 2 of Stranger things came around the younger actors were more well-known so now the production value had risen to $8 Million.
The history of Netflix begins in the year 2000; a new company had a meeting with Blockbuster (Video Rental Store that was massively popular) and said they could buy their new online service for $50 million. They said no, that company was Netflix and is now worth $145 million. Blockbuster had 9,000 stores worldwide there is now only one left. Netflix was originally created in 1998 as a video rental service (via post), it currently has around 10 million UK subscribers, 150 million worldwide subscribers. Netflix's success comes from many different reasons but the main reason would be their intelligent use of data; they use advanced algorithms that calculate what their users like and what they'd want to watch next. For example in 2011, they grouped their data and found out that many liked the 1990s British series ''House Of Cards'', a lot of people were interested in the famous Auteur David Fincher and Kevin Spacey. So they created an American version of House Of Cards directed by David Fincher which also starred Kevin Spacey. This series was a huge success. Another feature of their algorithms would be 'Landing Cards' these use a specific picture of a certain character on a show you've been watching to see if you'd like or dislike more related to that picture. For example, if you were watching Stranger Things because you're specific Landing Card was of Winona Ryder, Netflix would then recommend you other Winona Ryder films.
Curran & Seaton argue that media ownership constructs things we see. The Emergence of Netflix should lead us to question C&S as Netflix isn't a conglomerate but it does hold a lot of power. The world of SVOD has become a duopoly but possibly an oligopoly By duopoly I mean that there are two firms; Netflix at number one and then Amazon Prime at number two. Although in the UK the SVOD market could be seen as an oligopoly as Sky has created NOWTV; their streaming service. You wouldn't need a subscription you can watch it on your phone. They have HBO's content; an American service. which you can't get on Prime or Netflix. NOWTV is a significant player in this as it could mean SVOD is now an oligopoly rather than a duopoly. There has been a movement within the last year about big conglomerates starting to fight back, most significantly Disney. Disney+ will be launched in March, they removed their content from other Disney streaming platforms. Which means all the Marvel movies were removed from Netflix and the Netflix original shows such as Daredevil and Jessica Jones were canceled.
When applying Curran and Seaton to Long Form TV Drama, it's useful to consider the ways in which media ownership can impact upon production and distribution of television content. However, it does not consider the ways in which media productions are shaped by audience demand and it arguably underestimates the impact of online media. Netflix itself is now a TV giant, established its own oligopoly/duopoly. Hesmondhalgh states that conglomerates should stick to known methods, as it's best not to risk trying anything new. Netflix goes against this as they do offer a diverse range of products and representations, for example On My Block & 13 RW, giving things to an audience that mainstream TV isn't doing. Stranger Things is a good example of Netflix running under a vertically integrated system. As it was made by Netflix, although there were production companies involved it was still Netflix. They marketed it and they sell it. The only way to watch Stranger Things would be through Netflix.
TV is regulated by Offcom, similar to radio. The internet isn't regulated, it can be but it's too big. Netflix is regulated by the BBFC; they offer age ratings for their films and television series. They pay for these as it gives them this degree of professionalism/guidance. People can make their own decisions. For example, parents could say it's fine for their kids to watch Stranger Things even though it's a 15. Offcom used to have a rule for TV called 'The Watershed' this begins at 9PM and showcases heavy material unsuitable for children to watch. There isn't Watershed on Netflix, only age ratings.
Netflix now has more rivals such as Disney+ and Apple TV. This led Netflix to then invested a lot of money on Netflix films/TV shows. In 2018 they aimed for about 700 new original shows. The budget for Stranger Things season one was about $6 Million; a lot of this went into casting such as Winona Ryder, the older famous actors cost more than the younger ones as they were more well-known. Production details and special effects also come into account. When season 2 of Stranger things came around the younger actors were more well-known so now the production value had risen to $8 Million.
The history of Netflix begins in the year 2000; a new company had a meeting with Blockbuster (Video Rental Store that was massively popular) and said they could buy their new online service for $50 million. They said no, that company was Netflix and is now worth $145 million. Blockbuster had 9,000 stores worldwide there is now only one left. Netflix was originally created in 1998 as a video rental service (via post), it currently has around 10 million UK subscribers, 150 million worldwide subscribers. Netflix's success comes from many different reasons but the main reason would be their intelligent use of data; they use advanced algorithms that calculate what their users like and what they'd want to watch next. For example in 2011, they grouped their data and found out that many liked the 1990s British series ''House Of Cards'', a lot of people were interested in the famous Auteur David Fincher and Kevin Spacey. So they created an American version of House Of Cards directed by David Fincher which also starred Kevin Spacey. This series was a huge success. Another feature of their algorithms would be 'Landing Cards' these use a specific picture of a certain character on a show you've been watching to see if you'd like or dislike more related to that picture. For example, if you were watching Stranger Things because you're specific Landing Card was of Winona Ryder, Netflix would then recommend you other Winona Ryder films.
Curran & Seaton argue that media ownership constructs things we see. The Emergence of Netflix should lead us to question C&S as Netflix isn't a conglomerate but it does hold a lot of power. The world of SVOD has become a duopoly but possibly an oligopoly By duopoly I mean that there are two firms; Netflix at number one and then Amazon Prime at number two. Although in the UK the SVOD market could be seen as an oligopoly as Sky has created NOWTV; their streaming service. You wouldn't need a subscription you can watch it on your phone. They have HBO's content; an American service. which you can't get on Prime or Netflix. NOWTV is a significant player in this as it could mean SVOD is now an oligopoly rather than a duopoly. There has been a movement within the last year about big conglomerates starting to fight back, most significantly Disney. Disney+ will be launched in March, they removed their content from other Disney streaming platforms. Which means all the Marvel movies were removed from Netflix and the Netflix original shows such as Daredevil and Jessica Jones were canceled.
When applying Curran and Seaton to Long Form TV Drama, it's useful to consider the ways in which media ownership can impact upon production and distribution of television content. However, it does not consider the ways in which media productions are shaped by audience demand and it arguably underestimates the impact of online media. Netflix itself is now a TV giant, established its own oligopoly/duopoly. Hesmondhalgh states that conglomerates should stick to known methods, as it's best not to risk trying anything new. Netflix goes against this as they do offer a diverse range of products and representations, for example On My Block & 13 RW, giving things to an audience that mainstream TV isn't doing. Stranger Things is a good example of Netflix running under a vertically integrated system. As it was made by Netflix, although there were production companies involved it was still Netflix. They marketed it and they sell it. The only way to watch Stranger Things would be through Netflix.
TV is regulated by Offcom, similar to radio. The internet isn't regulated, it can be but it's too big. Netflix is regulated by the BBFC; they offer age ratings for their films and television series. They pay for these as it gives them this degree of professionalism/guidance. People can make their own decisions. For example, parents could say it's fine for their kids to watch Stranger Things even though it's a 15. Offcom used to have a rule for TV called 'The Watershed' this begins at 9PM and showcases heavy material unsuitable for children to watch. There isn't Watershed on Netflix, only age ratings.
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