Transnational European Television Drama: Production, Genres and Audiences (Palgrave European Film and Media Studies)

This book deals with the role of television drama in Europe as enabler of transnational, cultural encounters for audiences and the creative community. It demonstrates that the diversity of national cultures is a challenge for European TV drama but also a potential richness and source of creative variation. Based on data on the production, distribution and reception of recent TV drama from several European countries, the book presents a new picture of the transnational European television culture. The authors analyse main tendencies in television policy and challenges for national broadcasters coming from new global streaming services. Comparing cases of historical, contemporary and crime drama from several countries, this study shows the importance of creative co-production and transnational mediated cultural encounters between national cultures of Europe. Acknowledgements 6 Contents 8 Chapter 1 Introduction: Transnational European TV Studies 18 Cultural Encounters and European Integration 20 The Sociology of Mediated Cultural Encounters 22 Theories and Methods in the Study of Mediated Cultural Encounters 25 Genres and Types of Mediated Cultural Encounter 28 Outline of the Book 30 References 37 Chapter 2 A Theory of Mediated Cultural Encounters 39 Identity and the Power of Narratives 41 TV Drama Reception: Universal and Cultural Dimensions 46 Transnational Aspects of Media Reception 51 Imagined Communities: Group and Collective Identities 56 Transnational Cultural Screen Encounters: Negotiating Identities and Forms of Everyday Life 59 References 62 Chapter 3 The Perfect Storm: European Television Policy and the Emergence of Streaming Services 65 Television as a Medium and Streaming 65 OTT as Television 68 Structure of the Emerging Streaming Market in Europe 69 Media Policy Responses to Changing Television in an Online World 71 European TV Programming 75 The Revision of the AVMS Directive 76 Public Service Broadcasting at Stake: Regulation and Media Policy 80 From Public Service Broadcasting to on Demand: Challenges for a New EU Media Policy 83 Conclusion 88 References 89 Chapter 4 Networks and Patterns of European TV Drama Co-production 94 What Is a Cultural Encounter? 95 Data and Definitions 96 Leaders and Collaborators 98 How Often are Co-productions Aired? 100 Who Co-produces with Whom? 102 Co-production Patterns 104 The Distribution of Co-productions 109 Conclusion 111 References 112 Chapter 5 Creative Work in a Transnational Context: Cultural Encounters Behind the Scenes 113 Studying Creative Work in a Transnational Context 114 The Importance of Track Record and Trust in a Nobody Knows Business 117 Co-Production Communication Across Borders and Languages 123 Creating Coherent Quality Content for Several Markets 129 Cultural Encounters Behind the Scenes: Texts and Contexts 136 References 138 Chapter 6 National Patterns of TV Drama Consumption in Europe 143 Analysing Television Viewer Data: Audiences in a Comparative Perspective 144 Distribution of European, United States and National Television 146 The Development of Television Drama in Denmark 150 Audience Characteristics and Viewing Patterns 152 National Versus European TV Drama 154 Four Types of Viewers for European Content 156 Do Values Indicate Viewing Habits? 160 From the Big Picture to Specific Views and Perspectives 164 References 165 Chapter 7 Meeting the Others on TV: How Drama Translates into Cultural Encounters 167 Genres—Analytical, Structural, Cultural, and Social 168 Rituals and Social Uses of Television 170 How Genres Are Used and Valued 171 Studying Focus Groups: The Multiple Dimensions of Genres 173 Historical Drama and Cultural Identity: Origin Matters 176 Crime Drama: Cultural Proximity and Everyday Rituals Around TV Series 181 The Temporal Social Uses of Crime Series 185 A Transnational European Crime Drama: Expectations and Realities 188 Cultural Encounters and Re-encounters 192 Concluding Remarks 194 References 195 Chapter 8 Facing Everyday Life and the Societies We Live in: Contemporary Drama 197 A Typology of Basic Types of Contemporary Drama 200 The Historical Origins of Contemporary TV Drama in Europe 201 Families and Communities: British Contemporary Drama at Home and Abroad 204 The Legacy—a Danish Family Drama with Transnational Success 207 The Legacy—Viewer Data and Discourses of Reception 210 Other Contemporary Drama Voices 215 Social and Political Drama: Borgen, the Public and the Private Sphere 217 Borgen Abroad: Setting an Agenda 223 Borgen at Home 226 High-Tension Political Drama: The Political Thriller 229 The Honourable Woman: National and International Reception 232 References 234 Chapter 9 The Darker Sides of Society: Crime Drama 237 The Historical Birth of TV Crime Series 238 US Crime and Europe 241 Nordic Noir as Transnational Phenomenon 243 The Killing—A Spectacular Nordic Noir Success 248 British Crime—The Historical Context 253 The New Regional Crime Drama: Broadchurch 258 Crime in a Divided Country: Belgian Crime Drama and Salamander 261 References 265 Chapter 10 History, Heritage and Memory: Historical Drama 270 Mediated Cultural Encounters and European History and Heritage 271 Heritage Audiences 275 Transnational Heritage: UK ‘Soft Power’ in Europe 277 Audience Profiles: Downton Abbey in the UK and Denmark 281 Transnational Cultural Encounters: Reception as Cultural Negotiation 288 Chronicles of Nations, Images of War 293 The Battle of 1864: A National and Transnational Perspective 297 References 306 Chapter 11 Conclusion: European Television—Diversity with Very Little Unity? 309 Media and European Media Policy 310 A Fragmented European Audiovisual Space and the Global and Digital Challenges 312 Why Mediated Cultural Encounters Matter 314 The National and the Transnational—European Futures 317 References 321 Index 323 Front Matter ....Pages i-xvi Introduction: Transnational European TV Studies (Ib Bondebjerg, Eva Novrup Redvall, Rasmus Helles, Signe Sophus Lai, Henrik Søndergaard, Cecilie Astrupgaard)....Pages 1-21 A Theory of Mediated Cultural Encounters (Ib Bondebjerg, Eva Novrup Redvall, Rasmus Helles, Signe Sophus Lai, Henrik Søndergaard, Cecilie Astrupgaard)....Pages 23-48 The Perfect Storm: European Television Policy and the Emergence of Streaming Services (Ib Bondebjerg, Eva Novrup Redvall, Rasmus Helles, Signe Sophus Lai, Henrik Søndergaard, Cecilie Astrupgaard)....Pages 49-77 Networks and Patterns of European TV Drama Co-production (Ib Bondebjerg, Eva Novrup Redvall, Rasmus Helles, Signe Sophus Lai, Henrik Søndergaard, Cecilie Astrupgaard)....Pages 79-97 Creative Work in a Transnational Context: Cultural Encounters Behind the Scenes (Ib Bondebjerg, Eva Novrup Redvall, Rasmus Helles, Signe Sophus Lai, Henrik Søndergaard, Cecilie Astrupgaard)....Pages 99-128 National Patterns of TV Drama Consumption in Europe (Ib Bondebjerg, Eva Novrup Redvall, Rasmus Helles, Signe Sophus Lai, Henrik Søndergaard, Cecilie Astrupgaard)....Pages 129-152 Meeting the Others on TV: How Drama Translates into Cultural Encounters (Ib Bondebjerg, Eva Novrup Redvall, Rasmus Helles, Signe Sophus Lai, Henrik Søndergaard, Cecilie Astrupgaard)....Pages 153-182 Facing Everyday Life and the Societies We Live in: Contemporary Drama (Ib Bondebjerg, Eva Novrup Redvall, Rasmus Helles, Signe Sophus Lai, Henrik Søndergaard, Cecilie Astrupgaard)....Pages 183-222 The Darker Sides of Society: Crime Drama (Ib Bondebjerg, Eva Novrup Redvall, Rasmus Helles, Signe Sophus Lai, Henrik Søndergaard, Cecilie Astrupgaard)....Pages 223-255 History, Heritage and Memory: Historical Drama (Ib Bondebjerg, Eva Novrup Redvall, Rasmus Helles, Signe Sophus Lai, Henrik Søndergaard, Cecilie Astrupgaard)....Pages 257-295 Conclusion: European Television—Diversity with Very Little Unity? (Ib Bondebjerg, Eva Novrup Redvall, Rasmus Helles, Signe Sophus Lai, Henrik Søndergaard, Cecilie Astrupgaard)....Pages 297-310 Back Matter ....Pages 311-318 This text deals with the role of television drama in Europe as enabler of transnational, cultural encounters for audiences and the creative community. It demonstrates that the diversity of national cultures is a challenge for European TV drama but also a potential richness and source of creative variation. Based on data on the production, distribution and reception of recent TV drama from several European countries, the book presents a new picture of the transnational European television culture. The authors analyse main tendencies in television policy and challenges for national broadcasters coming from new global streaming services. Comparing cases of historical, contemporary and crime drama from several countries, this study shows the importance of creative co-production and transnational mediated cultural encounters between national cultures of Europe Ib Bondebjerg, Eva Novrup Redvall, Rasmus Helles, Signe Sophus Lai, Henrik Søndergaard, Cecilie Astrupgaard. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.