COMM1073 TV CULTURES
Assessment Task 1, Part B: Address at least one key television/media/cultural studies concept or issues introduced in the lectures, using a show that interests you
INTERNET KILLED THE VIDEO STORE: NETFLIX AND SCHEDULING
In March this year, Netflix became available in Australia and subsequently, any sense of productivity I had was ruined by the prospect of entire seasons of TV just a click away: anytime, anywhere. For me and for over 1.04 million other Australians (Roy Morgan, 2015) who have subscribed to the service since its launch, Netflix has significantly altered the television landscape, especially in terms of scheduling.
In the past, television viewing in a household was carefully organised. Scheduling was the key management tool of TV, as it governed “the basic pattern of broadcasting, interpreting and shaping the habits and actions of its viewers and non-viewers” (Ellis, 2000). A “grid” scheduling system was developed according to “inscribed assumptions about everyday life, about school hours, working hours, mealtimes, family togetherness and apartness…” (Briggs, 2010). For example, we are all ingrained to know that the nightly news starts at 6pm and any popular prime time reality show would usually begin at 7:30pm. I know plenty of mothers that cook whilst Peter Hitchener delivers the Channel Nine news in the background, or families that sit in front of the TV together to watch MasterChef after dinner.
However, in this post broadcast era, audiences no longer have the obligation to view a certain show at a certain time. Unlike traditional broadcast television in which each program is carefully scheduled to optimise flow and generate viewer interest, all content on Netflix is readily available as long as you have access to an Internet enabled device. Audiences can watch a show at any time, in any viewing pattern they wish.
This change in scheduling and subsequent viewing habits leads to a fascinating shift in audience behaviour. The “water cooler effect” where different social groups could get together and discuss the “must watch” show the day after its air has given way to the new concept of the “spoiler alert”. Organising of social time no longer revolves around TV scheduling, and the abundance of options and technology means that members of a family are becoming increasingly fragmented as they can be watching different things on different screens at the same time. Television is no longer a social activity, but an individual choice.
Perhaps the most groundbreaking phenomenon from the shift from episodic to serial viewing is Netflix’s role in the invention of the “binge watch”. This is a practice that me and many other millennials have quickly adopted, which is how I found myself still up at 3:30am on a Wednesday, on hour 6 of continuous watching of Netflix’s new original series, Sense8. Like the rest of Netflix’s original series, all of Sense8’s twelve episode first season was released at once, leaving the audience to decide when and how they watch.
Interestingly though, scheduling has not completely disappeared even with online streaming. When watching Sense8, each episode when finished automatically continues on to the next episode to encourage continuous viewing, and the ‘recommended shows’ pop ups gives the audience an idea of what to watch next. In addition, the lack of formal scheduling has given way to more informal community based scheduling, such as groups of friends getting together to watch a certain program.
The concept of scheduling has been one that was present ever since the popularity of television increased, and whilst it will go through shifts and changes in behaviour, it is something that will never completely disappear from the TV landscape.
References:
1. Ellis, J. (2000). Scheduling: the last creative act in television?. Media, Culture & Society, 22(1), pp.25-38. (http://mcs.sagepub.com/content/22/1/25.full.pdf+html)
2. Briggs, M. (2010). Television, audiences and everyday life. Maidenhead, England: Open University Press. (http://reader.eblib.com.au.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/(S(htvyotontgzuxpbk0fpfbs2u))/Reader.aspx?p=487784&o=116&u=qm4idr7%2b3G4iRfg%2fTRBJfw%3d%3d&t=1439344835&h=D88FBFFDD558FC5D736D6E8BC99F6E590F808CDA&s=20502456&ut=337&pg=1&r=img&c=-1&pat=n&cms=-1&sd=1)
3. Martin, T. (2015). Netflix is the new black: 1 million users, more than 3 times rivals Presto, Stan, Quickflix & Foxtel Play combined. [online] Roy Morgan. Available at: http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/6312-netflix-already-dominates-streaming-video-on-demand-television-may-2015-201506230322/ [Accessed 12 Aug. 2015].
