Andrea Esser is Visiting Professor at King’s College London and Emerita Professor of Media and Globalization at Roehampton University, London. She is Co-Investigator in the AHRC-funded Screen Encounters with Britain project (2020-2024) and Co-Director of the AHRC-funded Media Across Borders network. Her research considers all aspects of television’s inter- and transnationalisation: production networks, programme distribution, TV format adaptation, and the consumption and reception of screen content across borders. She has published widely in peer-reviewed journals and anthologies and has edited Media Across Borders: Localising TV, Film and Video Games (with I. Smith and M. Bernal-Merino, Routledge, 2016) as well as three special journal issues on the transnationalisation and localisation of TV content (IJoDT, 2017; VIEW, 2016; CST, 2013).
Screen Encounters with Britain - Interim Report Netherlands: What do young Europeans make of Britain and its digital screen culture? , 2024
Screen Encounters with Britain (SEB) is an AHRC-funded research project that explores how transna... more Screen Encounters with Britain (SEB) is an AHRC-funded research project that explores how transnational video-on-demand services like Netflix and YouTube affect the nature and extent of European audiences' digital encounters with the UK.
Using a mixed-methods approach, which combines document analysis to assess market trends with quantitative and qualitative audience research methods, it will establish: (1) How young Europeans define, find, access, value and experience screen content from the UK, and what motivates them to do so; and (2) how they understand the UK and British culture based on their screen consumption and wider UK-related experiences, and how this impacts their attitudes about the UK.
The research focuses on young, digital audiences (aged 16-34) in 4 case study markets: Denmark, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. This is the interim report for The Netherlands. The final report, combining all 4 countries, will be published in January 2025.
Screen Encounters with Britain - Interim Report Germany: What do young Europeans make of Britain and its digital screen culture?, 2023
This Interim Report is one of 4 Interim Reports for the AHRC-funded audience research project, Sc... more This Interim Report is one of 4 Interim Reports for the AHRC-funded audience research project, Screen Encounters with Britain: What do young Europeans make of Britain and its digital culture? It provides insights from Germany into young Europeans' screen consumption habits, their unrivalled preferences for Anglo-American screen content, their wide-ranging rejection of domestic screen fiction, and what it is that appeals to them in British films & TV programmes. The reports also show the dominance of global streaming services in comparison to domestic streaming services (public- service and commercial), the unrivalled position of Netflix, as well as the marked role that social media play in making screen content visible and driving engagement .
Screen Encounters with Britain - Interim Report Denmark: What do young Europeans make of Britain and its digital screen culture?, 2023
Screen Encounters with Britain (SEB) is an AHRC-funded research project that explores how transna... more Screen Encounters with Britain (SEB) is an AHRC-funded research project that explores how transnational video-on-demand services like Netflix and YouTube affect the nature and extent of European audiences' digital encounters with the UK.
Using a mixed-methods approach, which combines document analysis to assess market trends with quantitative and qualitative audience research methods, it will establish: (1) How young Europeans define, find, access, value and experience screen content from the UK, and what motivates them to do so; and (2) how they understand the UK and British culture based on their screen consumption and wider UK-related experiences, and how this impacts their attitudes about the UK.
The research focuses on young, digital audiences (aged 16-34) in four case study markets: Denmark, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. This is the Interim Report for Denmark. The final report, combining all 4 countries, will be published in January 2025.
Danish Television Drama: Global Lessons from a Small Nation, 2021
During the 2010s Danish TV drama series unexpectedly achieved global success. A vital role in the... more During the 2010s Danish TV drama series unexpectedly achieved global success. A vital role in their journey from this small European country into the world is occupied by the German and British TV markets. This chapter examines how serialised Danish TV drama entered these two instrumental markets in very different ways. It considers the specific German and British market dynamics at key moments between 2005 and 2018, alongside wider technological changes and attendant market transformations. The two case studies also reveal the increasingly transnational character of TV production, distribution and consumption. Theoretically, this chapter aims to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of transnational programme circulation, something that undoubtedly will continue to grow in TV’s online era and the increasingly discerning viewers it creates.
The Global Audiences of Danish Television Drama, 2020
This chapter critically reflects on the transnational reception of Danish television series throu... more This chapter critically reflects on the transnational reception of Danish television series through findings from explorative audience research in the UK. The multi-modal concept of "authenticity", which emerged strongly from the analysis of the interview transcripts, is used to explore and argue for how "emotional realism" (or the phenomenological process of identification) and "external realism" were major contributory factors in viewers' enjoyment of Danish series in the 2010s. Aiming to advance our understanding of viewers' perception and appreciation of realism and authenticity, I conceptualise the terms in relation to globalisation, the (mediated) tourist gaze, and the cognitive and affective processes that determine viewers' screen experience. I draw on cognitive and affective psychology, neuroscience, and screen theory, as well as theories from anthropology , sociology, and television and tourism studies concerned with globalisation, place, and authenticity. Authenticity is intricately linked with a range of diverse aspects that all contribute to the transnational appeal of Danish television drama.
This article combines analysis of form, platform and audiences for a holistic understanding of ho... more This article combines analysis of form, platform and audiences for a holistic understanding of how Danish series entered the global trade in TV fiction. Building on existing research on form and production values, it adds a wide-ranging empirical case study, exploring the specific local conditions that led to the introduction of Danish series in the United Kingdom in 2011 and subsequent growth in UK audiences for Danish and other subtitled TV series. It reveals the multiplicity of factors contributing to the success of the early Danish serial imports; the interdependence of form, platform and audiences; and the imperative to rethink dominant theories of international programme flows.
Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies, 2018
Audience engagement is attracting increasing attention in various academic disciplines. During th... more Audience engagement is attracting increasing attention in various academic disciplines. During the past few years, the industry-and technology-oriented conceptualizations of engagement have been challenged by a more audience-oriented understanding. This article aims at contributing to the development of a more nuanced audience-oriented approach. First, we make a theoretical contribution by bringing together the still limited literature on engagement and its disparate conceptualisations; secondly, we use the analysis of an empirical case study to demonstrate audience engagement as a set of experiences. Our analysis builds on the empirical material produced by two rounds of exploratory focus groups with viewers of musical talent shows in four locations: Saarbrücken/Germany, London/UK, Tampere/Finland and Aarhus/Denmark. From this we identified a number of modes of engagement which derive from both textual and contextual factors. These include character engagement, habitual and ritualistic engagement, and ludic engagement. We also discovered that audiences at times disengage or actively resist engagement.
This article is concerned with the consolidation of European TV format production companies durin... more This article is concerned with the consolidation of European TV format production companies during the first two decades of the twenty-first century and its likely impact on the configuration and long-term sustainability of the world’s largest format production market, the United Kingdom. Theoretically and methodologically influenced by various approaches – critical political economy, meso-level television industries research and scholarship concerned with the locational choice of economic activity – this exploratory study combines the macro-picture of consolidation at the European and international level with a fine-grained case study of the UK television market. It discloses an ecology faced with a range of opportunities and threats, likely to result in marked and enduring changes to UK entertainment.
This article is concerned with the international market consolidation in television entertainment... more This article is concerned with the international market consolidation in television entertainment production and its implications. The rapid growth of the TV format trade during the past 15 years has led to the formation of large European-led production groups. In recent years, U.S. media conglomerates have bought the largest of these groups. By tracing the groups’ development and the reasons for the U.S. acquisitions and by offering a model for the potential adverse implications this may have for television production and distribution in Europe, this article hopes to make a valuable contribution to media industries and policy research.
Zusammenfassung
• Europäische Produzenten begründeten mit erfolgreichen Formaten im Reality-TV un... more Zusammenfassung • Europäische Produzenten begründeten mit erfolgreichen Formaten im Reality-TV und im Factual Entertainment einen neuen Trend in der internationalen Vermarktung von TV-Programmen. • Zeitweilig verschoben sich die Gewichte von der traditionell dominanten US-Fernsehbranche nach Europa. • Seit einigen Jahren kaufen US-Konzerne erfolgreiche europäische Produktionsgruppen auf und erneuern ihre führende Position im globalen TV-Markt. • Die Folgen der vertikalen und horizontalen Integration betreffen Produktion, Distribution und Regulierung der Fernsehbranche.
Media Across Borders: Localizing TV, Film and Video Games, 2016
This chapter critically explores common conceptualizations of ‘the local’ and resulting assumptio... more This chapter critically explores common conceptualizations of ‘the local’ and resulting assumptions about what ‘localization’ means. It draws on globalization theories questioning the prevailing notion that the local is bound to territory, usually the nation state, and on empirical findings that reveal the complexity, fluidity, diversity and multiplicity of television audiences. In doing so, the chapter challenges several influential, foundational theories in television studies, particularly ‘national audience’, ‘adapting for a national market/audience’, ‘cultural discount’ and ‘preference for the local’. Their reductionism and mythological nature, it is argued, creates blind spots and impedes an advanced theoretical and practical understanding of ‘local’ization.
Keywords: defining localization, national television, television audiences, transnational television consumption and reception, cultural reductionism and essentialism
On the basis of the results of a transnational audience study of musical talent show formats in B... more On the basis of the results of a transnational audience study of musical talent show formats in Britain, Denmark, Finland and Germany, this chapter addresses what the authors believe to be a blind spot in television format research, namely the transnational reception of internationally franchised formats. Adopting a transcultural and glocal perspective methodologically and theoretically – instead of a nationally comparative perspective – allows the authors to avoid nation-centric cultural reductionism and instead uncover reception aspects that are either transnational or sub-national. The findings of the study point towards an increasingly complex cultural engagement and sense of cultural space and curiosity in viewers. They also reveal a fascinating display of banal nationalism on one side and banal transnationalism on the other. Consequently, the authors suggest that television format research may benefit from a transcultural and glocal approach to the audience reception of, and engagement with, formats – an approach that avoids falling back on the unproven but widely accepted and perpetuated assumption that the audience appeal of format adaptations lies in the possibility they offer to be nationalized.
Today, the use of television formats, developed in one market and sold internationally for local ... more Today, the use of television formats, developed in one market and sold internationally for local adaptation, is a widespread practice amongst commercial broadcasters around the world. But how has this trend impacted on public service broadcasting? Historically public service stipulations include the provision of content that informs and educates, is culturally relevant, caters to the diverse needs of the nation, and helps imagine it. Can international television formats fulfil these remits? And to what extent do PSBs employ them? Responding to criticisms and concerns about television formats, reality TV and popular entertainment more generally and hoping to contribute to media policy debate, this article provides a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the use of TV formats by Australian, Danish and German public service broadcasters. The article concludes by arguing that, even in the relatively few instances where international formats have been employed, the benefits outweigh any negative aspects raised.
In this chapter Esser uses TV Formats, such as Big Brother, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? or The... more In this chapter Esser uses TV Formats, such as Big Brother, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? or The Voice, sold internationally for local adaptation, to exemplify and theorise glocalization in television. The format trade has become a significant and truly global business in the last ten years. It has further homogenized and simultaneously heterogenized television globally. After demonstrating television’s internationalisation in the form of glocal TV Formats, the empirical frame of the format study is used to critically explore some deficient conceptualisations including, the cultural-economic dichotomy, the equation of the local with the national, the ideologically charged notions of ‘de-localisation’ and ‘de-culturalization’ and the possibility of ‘universals’. The format derived reflections, it is hoped, will further our understanding of glocalization processes and research.
The new millennium has seen the franchising of television content escalate. The trade in so-calle... more The new millennium has seen the franchising of television content escalate. The trade in so-called TV formats, like Big Brother or The X Factor, sold internationally for local adaptation, has multiplied. This article aims to illuminate the development of the format trade and the reasons for its acceleration and globalization in the early twenty-first century. It will be argued that franchising has come to play and will continue to play a prominent role in the TV content business: First, because of digital television’s highly competitive, commercial multi-platform ecosystem. Second, because ongoing internationalization and gradual convergence of TV systems globally diminish national barriers of structure and agency; and third, because of the popularity of light entertainment, coupled with formats’ multiple advantages as compared to locally developed programming, specifically TV fiction.
Popular Communication: The International Journal of Media and Culture, 2010
The last decade has witnessed the growth of TV formats such as Big Brother or The X Factor, devel... more The last decade has witnessed the growth of TV formats such as Big Brother or The X Factor, developed in one market and sold internationally for local adaptation. This article reveals the scale and significance formatted television content has attained, drawing on a case study analysis of US schedules from the 2007–2008 broadcast season. The high share of formatted programming found in primetime schedules (an average of 33% of broadcast hours) becomes understandable in light of the context and the advantages formats have for broadcasters and producers. The findings suggest that the franchising of content, both expression and outcome of television's commercial saturation, will continue to play a crucial role in TV schedules around the world. This franchising will contribute to the convergence of television globally, not just structurally but also in terms of concrete, albeit locally modified, content.
Screen Encounters with Britain - Interim Report Netherlands: What do young Europeans make of Britain and its digital screen culture? , 2024
Screen Encounters with Britain (SEB) is an AHRC-funded research project that explores how transna... more Screen Encounters with Britain (SEB) is an AHRC-funded research project that explores how transnational video-on-demand services like Netflix and YouTube affect the nature and extent of European audiences' digital encounters with the UK.
Using a mixed-methods approach, which combines document analysis to assess market trends with quantitative and qualitative audience research methods, it will establish: (1) How young Europeans define, find, access, value and experience screen content from the UK, and what motivates them to do so; and (2) how they understand the UK and British culture based on their screen consumption and wider UK-related experiences, and how this impacts their attitudes about the UK.
The research focuses on young, digital audiences (aged 16-34) in 4 case study markets: Denmark, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. This is the interim report for The Netherlands. The final report, combining all 4 countries, will be published in January 2025.
Screen Encounters with Britain - Interim Report Germany: What do young Europeans make of Britain and its digital screen culture?, 2023
This Interim Report is one of 4 Interim Reports for the AHRC-funded audience research project, Sc... more This Interim Report is one of 4 Interim Reports for the AHRC-funded audience research project, Screen Encounters with Britain: What do young Europeans make of Britain and its digital culture? It provides insights from Germany into young Europeans' screen consumption habits, their unrivalled preferences for Anglo-American screen content, their wide-ranging rejection of domestic screen fiction, and what it is that appeals to them in British films & TV programmes. The reports also show the dominance of global streaming services in comparison to domestic streaming services (public- service and commercial), the unrivalled position of Netflix, as well as the marked role that social media play in making screen content visible and driving engagement .
Screen Encounters with Britain - Interim Report Denmark: What do young Europeans make of Britain and its digital screen culture?, 2023
Screen Encounters with Britain (SEB) is an AHRC-funded research project that explores how transna... more Screen Encounters with Britain (SEB) is an AHRC-funded research project that explores how transnational video-on-demand services like Netflix and YouTube affect the nature and extent of European audiences' digital encounters with the UK.
Using a mixed-methods approach, which combines document analysis to assess market trends with quantitative and qualitative audience research methods, it will establish: (1) How young Europeans define, find, access, value and experience screen content from the UK, and what motivates them to do so; and (2) how they understand the UK and British culture based on their screen consumption and wider UK-related experiences, and how this impacts their attitudes about the UK.
The research focuses on young, digital audiences (aged 16-34) in four case study markets: Denmark, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. This is the Interim Report for Denmark. The final report, combining all 4 countries, will be published in January 2025.
Danish Television Drama: Global Lessons from a Small Nation, 2021
During the 2010s Danish TV drama series unexpectedly achieved global success. A vital role in the... more During the 2010s Danish TV drama series unexpectedly achieved global success. A vital role in their journey from this small European country into the world is occupied by the German and British TV markets. This chapter examines how serialised Danish TV drama entered these two instrumental markets in very different ways. It considers the specific German and British market dynamics at key moments between 2005 and 2018, alongside wider technological changes and attendant market transformations. The two case studies also reveal the increasingly transnational character of TV production, distribution and consumption. Theoretically, this chapter aims to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of transnational programme circulation, something that undoubtedly will continue to grow in TV’s online era and the increasingly discerning viewers it creates.
The Global Audiences of Danish Television Drama, 2020
This chapter critically reflects on the transnational reception of Danish television series throu... more This chapter critically reflects on the transnational reception of Danish television series through findings from explorative audience research in the UK. The multi-modal concept of "authenticity", which emerged strongly from the analysis of the interview transcripts, is used to explore and argue for how "emotional realism" (or the phenomenological process of identification) and "external realism" were major contributory factors in viewers' enjoyment of Danish series in the 2010s. Aiming to advance our understanding of viewers' perception and appreciation of realism and authenticity, I conceptualise the terms in relation to globalisation, the (mediated) tourist gaze, and the cognitive and affective processes that determine viewers' screen experience. I draw on cognitive and affective psychology, neuroscience, and screen theory, as well as theories from anthropology , sociology, and television and tourism studies concerned with globalisation, place, and authenticity. Authenticity is intricately linked with a range of diverse aspects that all contribute to the transnational appeal of Danish television drama.
This article combines analysis of form, platform and audiences for a holistic understanding of ho... more This article combines analysis of form, platform and audiences for a holistic understanding of how Danish series entered the global trade in TV fiction. Building on existing research on form and production values, it adds a wide-ranging empirical case study, exploring the specific local conditions that led to the introduction of Danish series in the United Kingdom in 2011 and subsequent growth in UK audiences for Danish and other subtitled TV series. It reveals the multiplicity of factors contributing to the success of the early Danish serial imports; the interdependence of form, platform and audiences; and the imperative to rethink dominant theories of international programme flows.
Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies, 2018
Audience engagement is attracting increasing attention in various academic disciplines. During th... more Audience engagement is attracting increasing attention in various academic disciplines. During the past few years, the industry-and technology-oriented conceptualizations of engagement have been challenged by a more audience-oriented understanding. This article aims at contributing to the development of a more nuanced audience-oriented approach. First, we make a theoretical contribution by bringing together the still limited literature on engagement and its disparate conceptualisations; secondly, we use the analysis of an empirical case study to demonstrate audience engagement as a set of experiences. Our analysis builds on the empirical material produced by two rounds of exploratory focus groups with viewers of musical talent shows in four locations: Saarbrücken/Germany, London/UK, Tampere/Finland and Aarhus/Denmark. From this we identified a number of modes of engagement which derive from both textual and contextual factors. These include character engagement, habitual and ritualistic engagement, and ludic engagement. We also discovered that audiences at times disengage or actively resist engagement.
This article is concerned with the consolidation of European TV format production companies durin... more This article is concerned with the consolidation of European TV format production companies during the first two decades of the twenty-first century and its likely impact on the configuration and long-term sustainability of the world’s largest format production market, the United Kingdom. Theoretically and methodologically influenced by various approaches – critical political economy, meso-level television industries research and scholarship concerned with the locational choice of economic activity – this exploratory study combines the macro-picture of consolidation at the European and international level with a fine-grained case study of the UK television market. It discloses an ecology faced with a range of opportunities and threats, likely to result in marked and enduring changes to UK entertainment.
This article is concerned with the international market consolidation in television entertainment... more This article is concerned with the international market consolidation in television entertainment production and its implications. The rapid growth of the TV format trade during the past 15 years has led to the formation of large European-led production groups. In recent years, U.S. media conglomerates have bought the largest of these groups. By tracing the groups’ development and the reasons for the U.S. acquisitions and by offering a model for the potential adverse implications this may have for television production and distribution in Europe, this article hopes to make a valuable contribution to media industries and policy research.
Zusammenfassung
• Europäische Produzenten begründeten mit erfolgreichen Formaten im Reality-TV un... more Zusammenfassung • Europäische Produzenten begründeten mit erfolgreichen Formaten im Reality-TV und im Factual Entertainment einen neuen Trend in der internationalen Vermarktung von TV-Programmen. • Zeitweilig verschoben sich die Gewichte von der traditionell dominanten US-Fernsehbranche nach Europa. • Seit einigen Jahren kaufen US-Konzerne erfolgreiche europäische Produktionsgruppen auf und erneuern ihre führende Position im globalen TV-Markt. • Die Folgen der vertikalen und horizontalen Integration betreffen Produktion, Distribution und Regulierung der Fernsehbranche.
Media Across Borders: Localizing TV, Film and Video Games, 2016
This chapter critically explores common conceptualizations of ‘the local’ and resulting assumptio... more This chapter critically explores common conceptualizations of ‘the local’ and resulting assumptions about what ‘localization’ means. It draws on globalization theories questioning the prevailing notion that the local is bound to territory, usually the nation state, and on empirical findings that reveal the complexity, fluidity, diversity and multiplicity of television audiences. In doing so, the chapter challenges several influential, foundational theories in television studies, particularly ‘national audience’, ‘adapting for a national market/audience’, ‘cultural discount’ and ‘preference for the local’. Their reductionism and mythological nature, it is argued, creates blind spots and impedes an advanced theoretical and practical understanding of ‘local’ization.
Keywords: defining localization, national television, television audiences, transnational television consumption and reception, cultural reductionism and essentialism
On the basis of the results of a transnational audience study of musical talent show formats in B... more On the basis of the results of a transnational audience study of musical talent show formats in Britain, Denmark, Finland and Germany, this chapter addresses what the authors believe to be a blind spot in television format research, namely the transnational reception of internationally franchised formats. Adopting a transcultural and glocal perspective methodologically and theoretically – instead of a nationally comparative perspective – allows the authors to avoid nation-centric cultural reductionism and instead uncover reception aspects that are either transnational or sub-national. The findings of the study point towards an increasingly complex cultural engagement and sense of cultural space and curiosity in viewers. They also reveal a fascinating display of banal nationalism on one side and banal transnationalism on the other. Consequently, the authors suggest that television format research may benefit from a transcultural and glocal approach to the audience reception of, and engagement with, formats – an approach that avoids falling back on the unproven but widely accepted and perpetuated assumption that the audience appeal of format adaptations lies in the possibility they offer to be nationalized.
Today, the use of television formats, developed in one market and sold internationally for local ... more Today, the use of television formats, developed in one market and sold internationally for local adaptation, is a widespread practice amongst commercial broadcasters around the world. But how has this trend impacted on public service broadcasting? Historically public service stipulations include the provision of content that informs and educates, is culturally relevant, caters to the diverse needs of the nation, and helps imagine it. Can international television formats fulfil these remits? And to what extent do PSBs employ them? Responding to criticisms and concerns about television formats, reality TV and popular entertainment more generally and hoping to contribute to media policy debate, this article provides a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the use of TV formats by Australian, Danish and German public service broadcasters. The article concludes by arguing that, even in the relatively few instances where international formats have been employed, the benefits outweigh any negative aspects raised.
In this chapter Esser uses TV Formats, such as Big Brother, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? or The... more In this chapter Esser uses TV Formats, such as Big Brother, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? or The Voice, sold internationally for local adaptation, to exemplify and theorise glocalization in television. The format trade has become a significant and truly global business in the last ten years. It has further homogenized and simultaneously heterogenized television globally. After demonstrating television’s internationalisation in the form of glocal TV Formats, the empirical frame of the format study is used to critically explore some deficient conceptualisations including, the cultural-economic dichotomy, the equation of the local with the national, the ideologically charged notions of ‘de-localisation’ and ‘de-culturalization’ and the possibility of ‘universals’. The format derived reflections, it is hoped, will further our understanding of glocalization processes and research.
The new millennium has seen the franchising of television content escalate. The trade in so-calle... more The new millennium has seen the franchising of television content escalate. The trade in so-called TV formats, like Big Brother or The X Factor, sold internationally for local adaptation, has multiplied. This article aims to illuminate the development of the format trade and the reasons for its acceleration and globalization in the early twenty-first century. It will be argued that franchising has come to play and will continue to play a prominent role in the TV content business: First, because of digital television’s highly competitive, commercial multi-platform ecosystem. Second, because ongoing internationalization and gradual convergence of TV systems globally diminish national barriers of structure and agency; and third, because of the popularity of light entertainment, coupled with formats’ multiple advantages as compared to locally developed programming, specifically TV fiction.
Popular Communication: The International Journal of Media and Culture, 2010
The last decade has witnessed the growth of TV formats such as Big Brother or The X Factor, devel... more The last decade has witnessed the growth of TV formats such as Big Brother or The X Factor, developed in one market and sold internationally for local adaptation. This article reveals the scale and significance formatted television content has attained, drawing on a case study analysis of US schedules from the 2007–2008 broadcast season. The high share of formatted programming found in primetime schedules (an average of 33% of broadcast hours) becomes understandable in light of the context and the advantages formats have for broadcasters and producers. The findings suggest that the franchising of content, both expression and outcome of television's commercial saturation, will continue to play a crucial role in TV schedules around the world. This franchising will contribute to the convergence of television globally, not just structurally but also in terms of concrete, albeit locally modified, content.
Media Across Borders: Localizing TV, Film and Video Games, 2016
What happened when Sesame Street and Big Brother were adapted for African audiences? Or when vide... more What happened when Sesame Street and Big Brother were adapted for African audiences? Or when video games Final Fantasy and Assassins’ Creed were localized for the Spanish market? Or when Sherlock Holmes was transformed into a talking dog for the Japanese animation Sherlock Hound? Bringing together leading international scholars working on localization in television, film and video games, Media Across Borders is a pioneering study of the myriad ways in which media content is adapted for different markets and across cultural borders. Contributors examine significant localization trends and practices such as: audiovisual translation and transcreation, dubbing and subtitling, international franchising, film remakes, TV format adaptation and video game localization. Drawing together insights from across the audiovisual sector, this volume provides a number of innovative models for interrogating the international flow of media. By paying specific attention to the diverse ways in which cultural products are adapted across markets, this collection offers important new perspectives and theoretical frameworks for studying localization processes in the audiovisual sector.
Media Mutations, the international conference on audiovisual media, comes to its ninth edition. T... more Media Mutations, the international conference on audiovisual media, comes to its ninth edition. This year's theme is the cultural and industrial role of global formats in television production, distribution and viewing practices. In the last fifteen years, following a long history that already started in the early years of the medium, television around the world has been constantly and successfully broadcasting global formats. Beginning with Big Brother, Survivor and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, and later with The X Factor, Masterchef, Peking Express, In Treatment, The Bridge, Pulseras Rojas and many others, formatted shows have contributed to the creation of a shared television aesthetics, spreading best practices in production, distribution and marketing, and increasing genre proximity across the world. At the same time, differences and national specificities are still at work, and the success of global formats in individual national markets depends on their successful localization. The process of formatization is now used in both TV fiction and entertainment production, and it is relentlessly expanding, both at the economic and cultural level, and in a convergent media scenario. The conference aims to expand academic knowledge on this phenomenon, establish new research perspectives in the field, and strengthen our understanding of national and transnational distribution and reception practices. The focus will be on cultural and linguistic format issues, on legal, economic and productive aspects of format development and format trade, and on the different genres and types of formatted audiovisual products.
Confirmed keynote speakers: Jérôme Bourdon, Jean Chalaby.
Organized by Luca Barra and Paola Brem... more Confirmed keynote speakers: Jérôme Bourdon, Jean Chalaby.
Organized by Luca Barra and Paola Brembilla, in collaboration with Andrea Esser, the Media Across Borders network and the ECREA Television Studies section.
Media Mutations, the international conference of studies on audiovisual media hosted by Dipartimento delle Arti of Università di Bologna, comes to its ninth edition. This year’s theme is the cultural and industrial role of global formats in television production, distribution and viewing practices.
In the last fifteen years, following a long history that already started in the early years of the medium, television all around the world has been constantly and successfully broadcasting global formats: big brands and franchises, with a codified set of rules, sold at international audiovisual markets, distributed in many countries and on numerous networks and channels, and adapted and remade according to the tastes and needs of local audiences. Beginning with Big Brother, Survivor and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, and later with The X Factor, Masterchef, Peking Express, In Treatment, The Bridge, Pulseras Rojas and many others, formatted shows have contributed to creating a shared television aesthetics, spreading best practice in production, distribution and marketing, and establishing similar consumption habits. At the same time, differences and national specificities are still at work, and the success of global formats in individual national markets depends on successful localization. The process of formatization is now used in both TV fiction and entertainment productions, and it is relentlessly expanding, both at the economic and cultural level, and in a convergent media scenario. [...]
Zusammenfassung • Europäische Produzenten begründeten mit erfolgreichen Formaten im Reality-TV un... more Zusammenfassung • Europäische Produzenten begründeten mit erfolgreichen Formaten im Reality-TV und im Factual Entertainment einen neuen Trend in der internationalen Vermarktung von TV-Programmen. • Zeitweilig verschoben sich die Gewichte von der traditionell dominanten US-Fernsehbranche nach Europa. • Seit einigen Jahren kaufen US-Konzerne erfolgreiche europäische Produktionsgruppen auf und erneuern ihre führende Position im globalen TV-Markt. • Die Folgen der vertikalen und horizontalen Integration betreffen Produktion, Distribution und Regulierung der Fernsehbranche.
In this chapter Esser uses TV Formats, such as Big Brother, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? or The... more In this chapter Esser uses TV Formats, such as Big Brother, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? or The Voice, sold internationally for local adaptation, to exemplify and theorise glocalization in television. The format trade has become a significant and truly global business in the last ten years. It has further homogenized and simultaneously heterogenized television globally. After demonstrating television’s internationalisation in the form of glocal TV Formats, the empirical frame of the format study is used to critically explore some deficient conceptualisations including, the cultural-economic dichotomy, the equation of the local with the national, the ideologically charged notions of ‘de-localisation’ and ‘de-culturalization’ and the possibility of ‘universals’. The format derived reflections, it is hoped, will further our understanding of glocalization processes and research.
This chapter critically explores common conceptualizations of ‘the local’ and resulting assumptio... more This chapter critically explores common conceptualizations of ‘the local’ and resulting assumptions about what ‘localization’ means. It draws on globalization theories questioning the prevailing notion that the local is bound to territory, usually the nation state, and on empirical findings that reveal the complexity, fluidity, diversity and multiplicity of television audiences. In doing so, the chapter challenges several influential, foundational theories in television studies, particularly ‘national audience’, ‘adapting for a national market/audience’, ‘cultural discount’ and ‘preference for the local’. Their reductionism and mythological nature, it is argued, creates blind spots and impedes an advanced theoretical and practical understanding of ‘local’ization. Keywords: defining localization, national television, television audiences, transnational television consumption and reception, cultural reductionism and essentialism
On the basis of the results of a transnational audience study of musical talent show formats in B... more On the basis of the results of a transnational audience study of musical talent show formats in Britain, Denmark, Finland and Germany, this chapter addresses what the authors believe to be a blind spot in television format research, namely the transnational reception of internationally franchised formats. Adopting a transcultural and glocal perspective methodologically and theoretically – instead of a nationally comparative perspective – allows the authors to avoid nation-centric cultural reductionism and instead uncover reception aspects that are either transnational or sub-national. The findings of the study point towards an increasingly complex cultural engagement and sense of cultural space and curiosity in viewers. They also reveal a fascinating display of banal nationalism on one side and banal transnationalism on the other. Consequently, the authors suggest that television format research may benefit from a transcultural and glocal approach to the audience reception of, and engagement with, formats – an approach that avoids falling back on the unproven but widely accepted and perpetuated assumption that the audience appeal of format adaptations lies in the possibility they offer to be nationalized.
existence of an alternative model invigorates the commercial competition and creates a better ove... more existence of an alternative model invigorates the commercial competition and creates a better overall media system. The final chapter briefly examines the market failure problems associated with delivering the social goods needed in 21st century society. In this, Pickard reimagines, rather more optimistically than many of us might, a media system capable of delivering on the implicit social contract embodied in the First Amendment and the 1934 Communication Act language. The closing chapter cements the currency of the book: instead of simply lapsing into the refrain of “the more things change, the more they stay the same,” it argues for renegotiating our agreement with media industries. A trenchantly historical yet optimistic, carefully researched history, this book is one that all of us should read to revitalize our commitment to a better media environment.
When, in the 1980s and early 1990s, private commercial television was introduced in the majority ... more When, in the 1980s and early 1990s, private commercial television was introduced in the majority of European countries, old fears about the hegemony of American popular culture resurfaced. However, concerns that the attendant influx of American programmes would weaken national cultures and diminish Europe’s cultural diversity soon eased. Domestic programmes mostly seemed to draw higher audience figures, and from the mid-1990s national production sectors and output were growing. In academia, this led to the quickly cemented and widespread belief that audiences per se prefer local to imported programmes — the appeal of the latter diminished by a “cultural discount” (Hoskins and Mirus, 1988) — and most media scholars came to agree that national television markets would remain strong, followed in importance by geo-linguistic or geo-cultural markets offering close “cultural proximity” (Straubhaar, 1991, 2007; Sinclair et al., 1996; Keane et al., 2007). Television’s internationalization, they opined, was confined by entrenched cultural difference and resilience.
In 2005, one of four subheadings of an article on trends in entertainment programming published i... more In 2005, one of four subheadings of an article on trends in entertainment programming published in the RTL Group’s Television 2005 Yearbook read “Format is king” (IP, 2005). It was aptly chosen. Throughout the first decade of the twenty-first century, formatted shows such as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Idols and America’s Next Top Model, developed in one market and sold internationally for local adaptation, proved highly popular with audiences across Europe as well as globally. By the end of the 1990s, formats had come to constitute large parts of the prime-time schedules of private broadcasters. Moreover, they fiercely permeated national top-10/top-20 programme lists compiled on the basis of audience ratings.
This article is concerned with the international market consolidation in television entertainment... more This article is concerned with the international market consolidation in television entertainment production and its implications. The rapid growth of the TV format trade during the past 15 years has led to the formation of large European-led production groups. In recent years, U.S. media conglomerates have bought the largest of these groups. By tracing the groups’ development and the reasons for the U.S. acquisitions and by offering a model for the potential adverse implications this may have for television production and distribution in Europe, this article hopes to make a valuable contribution to media industries and policy research.
This chapter critically reflects on the transnational reception of Danish television series throu... more This chapter critically reflects on the transnational reception of Danish television series through findings from explorative audience research in the UK. The multi-modal concept of “authenticity”, which emerged strongly from the analysis of the interview transcripts, is used to explore and argue for how “emotional realism” (or the phenomenological process of identification) and “external realism” were major contributory factors in viewers’ enjoyment of Danish series in the 2010s. Aiming to advance our understanding of viewers’ perception and appreciation of realism and authenticity, I conceptualise the terms in relation to globalisation, the (mediated) tourist gaze, and the cognitive and affective processes that determine viewers’ screen experience. I draw on cognitive and affective psychology, neuroscience, and screen theory, as well as theories from anthropology, sociology, and television and tourism studies concerned with globalisation, place, and authenticity. Authenticity is i...
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Articles & book chapters by Andrea Esser
Using a mixed-methods approach, which combines document analysis to assess market trends with quantitative and qualitative audience research methods, it will establish: (1) How young Europeans define, find, access, value and experience screen content from the UK, and what motivates them to do so; and (2) how they understand the UK and British culture based on their screen consumption and wider UK-related experiences, and how this impacts their attitudes about the UK.
The research focuses on young, digital audiences (aged 16-34) in 4 case study markets: Denmark, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. This is the interim report for The Netherlands. The final report, combining all 4 countries, will be published in January 2025.
Using a mixed-methods approach, which combines document analysis to assess market trends with quantitative and qualitative audience research methods, it will establish: (1) How young Europeans define, find, access, value and experience screen content from the UK, and what motivates them to do so; and (2) how they understand the UK and British culture based on their screen consumption and wider UK-related experiences, and how this impacts their attitudes about the UK.
The research focuses on young, digital audiences (aged 16-34) in four case study markets: Denmark, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. This is the Interim Report for Denmark. The final report, combining all 4 countries, will be published in January 2025.
• Europäische Produzenten begründeten mit erfolgreichen Formaten im Reality-TV und im Factual Entertainment einen neuen Trend in der internationalen Vermarktung von TV-Programmen.
• Zeitweilig verschoben sich die Gewichte von der traditionell dominanten US-Fernsehbranche nach Europa.
• Seit einigen Jahren kaufen US-Konzerne erfolgreiche europäische Produktionsgruppen auf und erneuern ihre führende Position im globalen TV-Markt.
• Die Folgen der vertikalen und horizontalen Integration betreffen Produktion, Distribution und Regulierung der Fernsehbranche.
Keywords: defining localization, national television, television audiences, transnational television consumption and reception, cultural reductionism and essentialism
Using a mixed-methods approach, which combines document analysis to assess market trends with quantitative and qualitative audience research methods, it will establish: (1) How young Europeans define, find, access, value and experience screen content from the UK, and what motivates them to do so; and (2) how they understand the UK and British culture based on their screen consumption and wider UK-related experiences, and how this impacts their attitudes about the UK.
The research focuses on young, digital audiences (aged 16-34) in 4 case study markets: Denmark, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. This is the interim report for The Netherlands. The final report, combining all 4 countries, will be published in January 2025.
Using a mixed-methods approach, which combines document analysis to assess market trends with quantitative and qualitative audience research methods, it will establish: (1) How young Europeans define, find, access, value and experience screen content from the UK, and what motivates them to do so; and (2) how they understand the UK and British culture based on their screen consumption and wider UK-related experiences, and how this impacts their attitudes about the UK.
The research focuses on young, digital audiences (aged 16-34) in four case study markets: Denmark, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. This is the Interim Report for Denmark. The final report, combining all 4 countries, will be published in January 2025.
• Europäische Produzenten begründeten mit erfolgreichen Formaten im Reality-TV und im Factual Entertainment einen neuen Trend in der internationalen Vermarktung von TV-Programmen.
• Zeitweilig verschoben sich die Gewichte von der traditionell dominanten US-Fernsehbranche nach Europa.
• Seit einigen Jahren kaufen US-Konzerne erfolgreiche europäische Produktionsgruppen auf und erneuern ihre führende Position im globalen TV-Markt.
• Die Folgen der vertikalen und horizontalen Integration betreffen Produktion, Distribution und Regulierung der Fernsehbranche.
Keywords: defining localization, national television, television audiences, transnational television consumption and reception, cultural reductionism and essentialism
In the last fifteen years, following a long history that already started in the early years of the medium, television around the world has been constantly and successfully broadcasting global formats. Beginning with Big Brother, Survivor and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, and later with The X Factor, Masterchef, Peking Express, In Treatment, The Bridge, Pulseras Rojas and many others, formatted shows have contributed to the creation of a shared television aesthetics, spreading best practices in production, distribution and marketing, and increasing genre proximity across the world. At the same time, differences and national specificities are still at work, and the success of global formats in individual national markets depends on their successful localization. The process of formatization is now used in both TV fiction and entertainment production, and it is relentlessly expanding, both at the economic and cultural level, and in a convergent media scenario.
The conference aims to expand academic knowledge on this phenomenon, establish new research perspectives in the field, and strengthen our understanding of national and transnational distribution and reception practices. The focus will be on cultural and linguistic format issues, on legal, economic and productive aspects of format development and format trade, and on the different genres and types of formatted audiovisual products.
Organized by Luca Barra and Paola Brembilla, in collaboration with Andrea Esser, the Media Across Borders network and the ECREA Television Studies section.
Media Mutations, the international conference of studies on audiovisual media hosted by Dipartimento delle Arti of Università di Bologna, comes to its ninth edition. This year’s theme is the cultural and industrial role of global formats in television production, distribution and viewing practices.
In the last fifteen years, following a long history that already started in the early years of the medium, television all around the world has been constantly and successfully broadcasting global formats: big brands and franchises, with a codified set of rules, sold at international audiovisual markets, distributed in many countries and on numerous networks and channels, and adapted and remade according to the tastes and needs of local audiences. Beginning with Big Brother, Survivor and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, and later with The X Factor, Masterchef, Peking Express, In Treatment, The Bridge, Pulseras Rojas and many others, formatted shows have contributed to creating a shared television aesthetics, spreading best practice in production, distribution and marketing, and establishing similar consumption habits. At the same time, differences and national specificities are still at work, and the success of global formats in individual national markets depends on successful localization. The process of formatization is now used in both TV fiction and entertainment productions, and it is relentlessly expanding, both at the economic and cultural level, and in a convergent media scenario. [...]