Abstract
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 globalisation 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. Secondly, because ongoing internationalisation and gradual convergence of TV systems globally diminish national barriers of structure and agency; and thirdly, because of the popularity of light entertainment, coupled with formats' multiple advantages as compared to locally developed programming, specifically TV fiction.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 141-58 |
| Journal | International Journal of Digital Television |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - 2013 |
Keywords
- TV Formats
- franchising
- globalisation
- media management
- reality TV