TELEVISION DRAMA IN THE AGE OF STREAMING : transnational strategies and digital production... cultures at the nrk

This book examines television drama in the age of streaming―a time when television has been reshaped for national and international consumption via both linear ‘flow’ and on-demand user modes. It builds on an in-depth study of the Norwegian public service broadcaster (NRK) and some of its game-changing drama productions ( Lilyhammer , SKAM , blank ). The book portrays the formative first decade of television streaming (2010-2019), how new streaming services and incumbent television providers intersect and act in a new drama landscape, and how streaming impacts existing television production cultures, publishing models and industry-audience relations. The analysis draws on insight gained through more than a hundred interviews with television experts and fans, hundreds of hours of observations, and unique access to industry conferences, meetings, working documents, and ratings. The book combines perspectives from production studies, media industry studies, and fan studies to inform its analysis. Acknowledgements Contents List of Figures List of Tables Chapter 1: National Television, Drama and Streaming Introduction Analytical Positioning: Production, Industry and Fans Television Streaming from a Test-Market Perspective NRK: ‘A Gigantic Small Broadcaster’ From Lilyhammer to SKAM and blank Studying Digital Flagship Productions and Their Audiences and Fans Interviews with Key Informants Ethnographic Field Observation Analysis of Media Artefacts and Industry Deep Texts Audience Ratings and Statistics Three Media Study Topics Activated by Television Streaming National Television Public Service Television The End of Television Outline of the Book References Chapter 2: Industry Perceptions of Streaming Introduction From National Competition to World Championship Challenge 1: Retaining the Audience Challenge 2: Producing World-Class Content Challenge 3: Gaining Visibility Challenge 4: Securing Content Rights Summing Up References Chapter 3: Changing Production Cultures Introduction Going Big: High-Budget Co-productions for the World Going Small: Online Drama Based on Audience Needs Going Again: Scripted Fiction and Drama Remakes Summing Up References Chapter 4: Changing Publishing Strategies Introduction Reinventing ‘Flow’ and ‘Liveness’ Transmedia Storytelling and Universes Television Drama as Event Summing Up References Chapter 5: Changing Industry–Audience Relations Introduction The Paradox of Audience Making Serving Fans and Fan Cultures How to Measure Success? Summing Up References Chapter 6: The End of Television and the New Beginning? Introduction Television Drama in a Global World Television Drama in the Public’s Interest The End of Television Drama? References Appendix: Industry Informants Index