1.
The Digital Era of TV and its effect on
Content
John Nordlinger
Ruthie Williams
Skinner Myers
Jackson Flanagan
USC CTCS 587 “TV Theory” with Aniko Imre.
John Nordlinger
Skinner Myers
Ruthie Williams
Jackson Flanagan

2.
Production
Component
Network Era
(1950s to 1980s)
Multi-Channel
Transition
(1980s – 2009)
Post Network Era
(after 2009)
Technology Television VCR, remote
Analog Cable
DVR, VOD,
Digital Cable Portable
devices
Creation Deficit financing Fin-syn rules, surge of
independents,
end of fin-syn
conglomeration and
co-production
Multiple financing norms,
variation in cost structure
and aftermarket value,
opportunities for amateur
production
Distribution Bottleneck, definite
windows, exclusivity
Cable increases
possible outlets
Erosion of time between
windows and exclusivity of
content anytime, anywhere.
Advertising .30 ads, upfront market Subscription,
experimentation with
alternatives to .30 sec
ads
Co-existence of multiple
models -- .30sec,placement,
integration, branded
entertainment
Sponsorship, multiple use
supported transactional and
subscription
Audience
Measurement
Audiometers, diaries,
Sampling (Nielsen)
People meters,
Sampling (Nielsen)
Portable People Meters,
census measure
Amanda Lolz, “The Television Will Be Revolutionized”, pg 8, 2007

3.
Production
Component
Network Era
(1950s to 1980s)
Multi-Channel and
Digital Transition
(1980s – 2009)
Digital Era
(2010-2013)
Financing Deficit financing Fin-syn rules, surge of
independents,
end of fin-syn
conglomeration and
co-production
Multiple financing norms,
variation in cost structure
and aftermarket value,
opportunities for amateur
production
Development Creation limited to
within stovepipe
system of select
studios.
Studios open up,
Independent efforts
gain note. Cable raises
the quality bar.
Opportunities for amateur
production, tech companies
enter the fray.
Distribution Bottleneck, definite
windows, exclusivity
Cable increases
possible outlets
Erosion of time between
windows and exclusivity of
content anytime, anywhere.
Cable wanes while
broadband waxes.
Advertising .30 ads, upfront market Subscription,
experimentation with
alternatives to .30 sec
ads
Co-existence of multiple
models -- .30sec,placement,
integration, branded
entertainment
Sponsorship, multiple use
supported transactional and
subscription
Audience
Measurement
Audiometers, diaries,
Sampling (Nielsen)
People meters,
Sampling (Nielsen)
Portable People Meters,
census measure ,

4.
Video On Demand
Unique Viewers Estimated Subscribers Fall
2012
Google/Youtube 152 Million
Hulu 22 Million 3 Million
Netflix 23 Million
Amazon ??? ??

5.
TWC vs. CBS
The Digital Era will
bring commodization
and upset established
entertainment
businesses with
unexpected winners.

6.
Wired, Vol 21.04 April, 2013 “How Data Powers the Platinum Age of Television
emmy nominations

7.
How does Digital TV, by expanding it reach,
affect how TV is being made and measured?

8.
Content Creation for Global and Niche
Audiences

9.
Interactive Engagement &
Supplemental Media
• Fan/Critical Forums
• Web Extras
• Binge Viewing
• Social Media

10.
Binge Viewing

11.
Global Distribution

12.
Global Production

13.
TV is being watched and created
globally: VFX

14.
New Limits and Freedoms
• Piracy
• Avoiding spoilers for global fandoms
• Changing metrics in translational viewership

15.
Writing is influenced by Technology

16.
Brief History of Writing and
Technology
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTPaGfrI2wc

17.
How We Think About Writing
• Jim Porter- Author of “Why Technology Matters to Writing
• From the scenic perspective, writing is not only the words
on the page, but it also concerns mechanisms for
production (for example, the writing process, understood
cognitively, socially, and technologically); mechanisms for
distribution or delivery (for example, media); invention,
exploration, research, methodology, and inquiry
procedures; and questions of audience, persuasiveness,
and impact. From the scenic/contextual perspective,
writing technologies play a huge role—especially in terms
of production (process) and distribution (delivery).”

18.
Social Media Has Influenced Writing

19.
Writing Becomes More Transparent
Because of Technology
• Curtin says, “media policies can establish barriers, but just as
importantly they can act as enablers, helping to nurture and
sustain spaces for local voices in a global era.”
• Olson defines transparency “is the capability of certain texts
to seem familiar regardless of their origin, to seem a part of
one’s own culture, even though they have been crafted
elsewhere.”

20.
Writing Influences Transnationally
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PI_92dbf7pQ

21.
Digital TV and Quality

22.
Nelson: “Quality TV Drama”
• Historically, we valued quality (1950’s-1960’s)
• Digital technology is approximating film
• Technology has validated the TV Network era
• Broader economic and cultural impact
• Subscription and premium channels
• Aesthetic and production values appropriate
dramatic code

23.
Brundson: “Problem With Quality”
• Quality is “just a word”
• Technology vs. film as an art form
• Judgment on advancing technology is
subjective
• What can be achieved with technology
constraints?
• Can quality be interlinked with money and
technology?

24.
Jenkins: “Cultural Logic”
• What is the future of media?
• Commercial Media
• Collective Imagining
• Production vs. Consumption
• Flow of media across different platforms
• Revising audience measurement
• Redesigning the economy

25.
“Since Mad Men debuted on AMC in 2007, the cable channel’s subscriptions, licensing
fees, and ad revenue have all grown dramatically. In other words, quality original
programs mean big money”. Wired, Vol 21.04

26.
Conclusion
Digital Technology is disrupting the entertainment
industry such that it is entering a new era, accurately
called the Digital Era.
In this era, like any crisis there are dangers and
opportunities. The dangers include piracy, disaffecting
viewers, inferior content and lost historical media
content. The opportunities include, reaching niche and
global audiences, better stories and improved quality.
However, with laissez-faire regulation, it is up to the
cultured consumer to hold TV to a higher standard.

27.
Bibliography
• Books:
• Aluetta, Ken, Three Blind Mice :How the TV Networks Lost Their Way
• Lolz, Amanda D. and Gray, “Television Studies”
• Lolz, Amanda D., The Television Will Be Revolutionized., 2007.
• Sepinwall, Alan, The Revolution was Televised, 2012
• Academic Articles:
• Hayles, N. Katherine. (1999). How we became posthuman: Virtual bodies in cybernetics, literature, and informatics. Chicago: The
University of Chicago Press.
• Jenkins, Henry Journal of Cultural Studies 7.1: 33-43. ““The Cultural Logic of Media Convergence”, 2004
• Mittel, Jason “Narrative Complexity in Contemporary American Television”
• Sullivan, Patricia A., & Porter, James E. (1990). How do writers view usability information? A case study of a developing documentation
writer. Asterisk ( now Journal of Computer Documentation), 14, 29–35.
• Warschauer, M. (2007). Technology and writing. In C. Davison & J. Cummins (Eds.), The International Handbook of English Language
Teaching (pp. 907-912). Norwell, MA: Springer.
• Nelson, Robin “Quality TV Drama.” In McCabe and Akass, Quality TV.
• Brunsdon, Charlotte (1990) “Problems with Quality” Screen 31.1
• Industrial Articles:
• Geller, Jonathan, Variety, “How Apple Will Kill Gaming Consoles.” pg 31, May 2013
• “ Hulu’s Fork in The Road“, Wall Street Journal. December 12, 2012 Pp B1-B2
• Wired, “From Netflix to Twitter, Biometrics to Banana Stands. How Data powers the Platinum Age of Television”, 92-103. April 2013, Vol
21.04
• L:A Times, Aug 6th pp “A blackout and a black eye in cable TV feud”, B1,B3, “Viewers see class of the TV titans.”, D1,D5
• The Web:
• http://insidedigitalmedia.com , assorted articles
• http://entertainment.slashdot.org
• http://flowtv.org
• TV Technology website and magazine.– www.tvtechnology.com
• http://insidedigitalmedia.com , assorted articles
• http://entertainment.slashdot.org
• http://flowtv.org