Advance Search

From Parochialism to Cosmopolitanism in the American Audiovisual Supply? Netflix’s New Releases of Television Fiction in the United States and their Geographical Diversity

Jose Carlos Lozano
Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon
Keywords:
Copyright and Licensing:

Copyright (c) 2023 Anagramas Rumbos y Sentidos de la Comunicación

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Abstract

The supply of films and TV series in the United States has been historically dominated by national programming produced by its powerful media conglomerates, significantly limiting the diversity and plurality of choices for their American viewers. Netflix and other video-on-demand platforms are changing this situation, significantly increasing the availability in the United States of fiction produced in different regions of the world, potentially exposing their subscribers to new narrative styles, scenarios, ethnicities, nationalities, languages, and cultural features. This study, based on the methodology of content analysis, analyzes the geographical origin and production type of new Netflix scripted television releases in the United States from January 2017 to June 2018 and discusses their potential relevance in broadening the degree of geographical diversity among American subscribers to the platform. The paper concludes that while Netflix USA substantially increased the supply of foreign television series in its catalog during that period, a sizeable part of the imports came from countries with high degrees of “cultural proximity” with the United States. The article concludes by discussing the possible “Americanization” of foreign audiovisual productions, formats, and genres bought or produced by Netflix.

PDF (ENGLISH)
PDF (ENGLISH)

References

  1. Aguiar, L. & Waldfogel, J. (2018). Netflix: Global hegemon or facilitator of frictionless digital trade? Journal of Cultural Economics 3(42), 419-445. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10824-017-9315-z
  2. BBC. (2018, January 23). Netflix’s history: From DVD rentals to streaming success. BBC Newsbeat. http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/42787047/netflixs-history-from-dvd-rentals-tostreaming-success
  3. Becerra, M., & Mastrini, G. (2010). Concentración de los medios en América Latina: tendencias de un nuevo siglo. Contratextos, (18), 41-64. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26439/contratexto2010.n018.199
  4. Bertran, A. (2020, March 2). Netflix to launch 14 new original productions in Mexico this year. Nextv News Latin America. https://en.nextvlatam.com/netflix-to-launch-14-new-original-productionsin-mexico-this-year/
  5. Castro, D., & Cascajosa, C. (2020). From Netflix to Movistar+: How subscription Video-on-Demand Services has transformed Spanish TV production. JCMS: Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, 59(3), 154-160. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/cj.2020.0019
  6. Croteau, D., & Hoynes, W. (2001). The business of media. Corporate media and the public interest. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.
  7. De Bens, E., & De Smaele, H. (2001). The inflow of American television fiction on European broadcasting channels revisited. European Journal of Communication, 16(1), 51-76. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0267323101016001003
  8. Doyle, G. (2016). Digitization and changing windowing strategies in the television industry: Negotiating new windows on the world. Television & New Media, 17(7), 629-645.
  9. Evans, S.K., Pearce, K.E., Vitak, J., & Treem, J.W. (2017). Explicating affordances: A conceptual framework for understanding affordances in communication research. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 22(1), 35-52. DOI: 10.1111/jcc4.12180
  10. Fontaine, G., & Grece, C. (2016). Origin of films and TV content in VOD catalogues in the EU & Visibility of films on VOD services. European Audiovisual Observatory.
  11. Fu, W. W. (2010). Explaining global box-office tastes in Hollywood films: Homogenization of national audience’s movie selections. Communication Research, 37(2), 215-238. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650209356396
  12. Garcia Leiva, M.T. & Albornoz, L.A. (2021). VOD service providers and regulation in the European Union: An audiovisual diversity approach. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 27(3), 267-281. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2020.1769614
  13. Gitlin, T. (1985). Inside prime time. Pantheon Books.
  14. Gomery, D. (1992). Shared pleasures: A history of movie presentation in the United States. University of Wisconsin Press
  15. Hellman, H. (2001). Diversity - An end in itself? Developing a multi-measure methodology of television program variety studies. European Journal of Communication, 16(2), 181-208. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0267323101016002003
  16. Hoskins, C., Mirus, R., & Rozeboom, W. (1989). US television programs in the international market: Unfair pricing? Journal of Communication, 39(2), 55-75. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1989.tb01029.x
  17. Iordache, C. (2021). Netflix in Europe: Four markets, four platforms? A comparative analysis of audio-visual offerings and investment strategies in four EU states. Television & New Media, Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/15274764211014580
  18. Jarvey, N. (2018). How Amazon Video subscribers stack up against Netflix, Hulu (Report). The Hollywood Reporter. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/new-data-reveals-howamazon-video-stacks-up-netflix-hulu-report-1094783
  19. Katz, B. (2020, August 5, 2020). Thanks to quarantine, Amazon is gaining on Netflix’s numbers. Observer. https://observer.com/2020/08/netflix-subscribers-stock-amazon-prime-videosubscribers/
  20. Kivikuru, U. (1988). From import to modeling: Finland —An example of old periphery dependency. European Journal of Communication, 3, 9-34. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0267323188003001002
  21. Lembo, R., & Tucker, K. (1990). Culture, television, and opposition. Rethinking cultural studies. Critical Studies in Mass Communication, 7, 97-116. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15295039009360167
  22. Limov, B. (2020). Click it, binge it, get hooked: Netflix and the growing U.S. audience for foreign content. International Journal of Communication, (14), 6304-6323.
  23. Lobato, R. (2018). Rethinking international TV flows research in the age of Netflix. Television & New Media, 19(3), 241-256. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476417708245
  24. Lotz, A., & Lobato, R. (2019, November 8). Apple, Disney, and Netflix’s streaming battle aren’t winner-take-all. The Conversation US. https://theconversation.com/apple-disney-and-netflixsstreaming-battle-isnt-winner-take-all-125360
  25. Lotz, A. (2020). In between the global and the local: Mapping the geographies of Netflix as a multinational service. International Journal of Cultural Studies. Advanced online publication. DOI:
  26. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367877920953166
  27. Lozano, J.C. & Hernández Lomelí, F. (2020). Media flows. In W. Raussert, G. L. Anatol, S. Thies, S. Corona Berkin, & J.C. Lozano (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook to the Culture and Media of the Americas (pp. 382-392). Routledge.
  28. Lynch, J. (2019). Netflix has now 139 million subscribers and says it competes with Fornite more than HBO. Adweek. https://www.adweek.com/tv-video/netflix-now-has-139-million-subscribersand-says-it-competes-with-fortnite-more-than-hbo/
  29. Maltby, R., & Stokes, M. (2004). Hollywood abroad: Audiences and cultural exchange. BFI Publishing.
  30. Martínez, F. J. (2005). La oferta de televisión en América Latina: Hacia un análisis de flujos. ZER Revista de Estudios de Comunicación, (19), 145-172. http://hdl.handle.net/10810/40882
  31. McQuail, D. (1992). Media performance: Mass communication and the public interest. London: Sage.
  32. Moody, R. (2020). Netflix subscribers and revenue by country. Comparitech. https://www.comparitech.com/tv-streaming/netflix-subscribers/
  33. Moore, K. (2020, August 5). Does Netflix have too much foreign content? What´s on Netflix. https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/does-netflix-have-too-much-foreign-content/
  34. Morley, D. (2006). Unanswered questions in audience research. The Communication Review, 9, 101-121. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10714420600663286
  35. Napoli, P. (1999). Deconstructing the diversity principle. Journal of Communication, 49(4), 7-34. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1999.tb02815.x
  36. Nordenstreng, K., & Varis, T. (1974). Television traffic--a one-way street? A survey and analysis of the international flow of television program material. Unesco.
  37. Nunan, T. (2020, October 29, 2020). Peacock posts a surprising number of subscribers. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomnunan/2020/09/15/peacock-posts-surprising-number-ofsubscribers/?sh=62b89e4f736b
  38. Penner, T. A. & Straubhaar, J.D. (2020). Títulos originais e licenciados com exclusividade no catálogo brasileiro da Netflix: um mapeamento dos países produtores. MATRIZes, 14(1), 125-149.
  39. Prang, A. (2019, January 8). Hulu reports more than 25 million subscribers in 2018. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/hulu-reports-more-than-25-millionsubscribers-in-2018-11546963200
  40. Press, J. (2020, June 22). Hulu’s streaming-wars strategy: Less is more. Vanity Fair. https://www.wsj.com/articles/hulu-reports-more-than-25-million-subscribers-in-2018-11546963200
  41. Robinson, J. (2018, November 9). The four types of Netflix Originals. What’s New on Netflix. https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/the-four-types-of-netflix-originals/
  42. Rios, S. & Scarlata, A. (2018). Locating SVOD in Australia and Mexico: Stan and Blim contend with Netflix. Critical Studies in Television, 13(4), 475-490.
  43. Rodríguez, A. (2019, February 26). Netflix didn´t make many of the “originals” that made it famous. That´s changing. Quartz. https://qz.com/1545594/netflix-doesnt-make-most-of-its-originalsnow-thats-changing/
  44. Schement, J. R., Gonzalez, I. N., Lum, P., & Valencia, R. (1984). The international flow of television programs. Communication Research, 11(2), 163-182. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/009365084011002003
  45. Schneider, M. (2018, November 15). With 100 foreign-language series, Netflix will take binge-watching global. IndieWire. https://www.indiewire.com/2018/11/netflix-international-casa-de-papel-darksacred-games-erik-barmack-interview-1202020918/
  46. Spangler, T. (2018, February 27). Netflix eyeing a total of about 700 Original Series in 2018. Variety. https://variety.com/2018/digital/news/netflix-700-original-series-2018-1202711940/
  47. Statista. (2019a). Value of the entertainment and media market in the United States from 2011to 2020. https://www.statista.com/statistics/237769/value-of-the-us-entertainment-andmedia-market/
  48. Statista. (2019b). Number of HBO Now subscribers from December 2015 to February 2018 (in millions). https://www.statista.com/statistics/539290/hbo-now-subscribers/
  49. Straubhaar, J. (1991). Beyond media imperialism: Asymmetrical interdependence and cultural proximity. Critical Studies in Mass Communication, 8, 39-59. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15295039109366779
  50. Straubhaar, J. (2003). Choosing national TV: Cultural capital, language, and cultural proximity in Brazil. In M. G. Elasmar (Ed.), The impact of international television: A paradigm shift (pp. 77-111). Lawrence Earlbaum Associates.
  51. Trainer, D. (2019, March 8). Loss of licensed content Is an underrated crisis for Netflix. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2019/03/08/loss-of-licensed-content-is-anunderrated-crisis-for-netflix/?sh=53b1b2ba2111
  52. Trejo Delarbre, R. (2010). Muchos medios en pocas manos: concentración televisiva y democracia en América Latina. Intercom - Revista Brasileira de Ciencias da Comunicacao, 33(1), 17-51.
  53. Van Cuilenburg, J. (2007). Media diversity, competition, and concentration: Concepts and theories. In E. de Bens & C. Hamelink (Eds.), Media between culture and commerce: An Introduction. Bristol. UK: Intellect.
  54. Varis, T., Nordenstreng, K. (1985). The international flow of television programs. Unesco.
  55. Wayne, M. L., & Uribe Sandoval, Anna C. (2021). Netflix Original series, global audiences, and discourses of streaming success. Critical Studies in Television, 0(0), 1-20.
  56. Watson, A. (2018, October 23, 2020). How often do you use Netflix? Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/740061/tv-consumption-netflix-age/
How to Cite
Lozano, J. C. (2022). From Parochialism to Cosmopolitanism in the American Audiovisual Supply? Netflix’s New Releases of Television Fiction in the United States and their Geographical Diversity. Anagramas Rumbos Y Sentidos De La Comunicación, 20(40), 200-223. https://doi.org/10.22395/angr.v20n40a9

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

Send mail to Author

Send Cancel

We are indexed in