Media Ecology Essay Plan

"The relationship between media and its audience has changed rapidly"

Introduction: 

• Media ecology aims to describe ways in which diverse media environments shape today's society and our everyday lives, relating to the theoretical framework that deals with the multifaceted relationship between media and society (agree)
• The phrase was officially introduced and coined in 1968 by the media theorist Neil Postman, however it was based upon Marshall McLuhan theory written in his 1964 book: 'Understanding Media'
• At the most basic level, audiences are vital in communication. It is for the audience that the media are constructing and conveying information, and, if it were not for the audiences, the media would not exist

Body: 

Paragraph 1:

Topic: Increase in the use of technology to expand audiences and mediums

• With the proliferation of technology and Web 2.0, there is now a clear distinction between old and new media and the introduction of the idea that audiences can now give feedback, working with producers to influence how and what media is communicated

Theory: Shirky

• This relates to Shirky's 'End of Audience' theory which introduces the idea of 'prosumers' as audiences change from passive to active, and we see this with many people creating their own content which is filtered through different mediums on a global scale
• In addition to this, with an increase in the media outlets and mediums, there has been a change in distribution models. There are now more simultaneous releases such as theatrical and SVOD (streaming video on demand) releases. This allows for more audiences to watch things in different ways. 

Case Study: Scarjo suing Disney

• However, there can be issues in regards to simultaneous releases, as in 2021, Scarlett Johansson sued Disney for breaching her contract and releasing her movie 'Black Widow' in both theaters and on online platforms, when her contract stated her income relied on box office revenue (theatrical release only), and by releasing it online, she wouldn't have made the same amount of money as people could watch it online. Furthermore, this was during the worldwide Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions, which resulted in significant changes in audience trends. Because of this, the media industry benefitted greatly from the crisis, as the number of people using inline streaming platforms drastically increased.
  
  

Paragraph 2:

Topic: Change in audience trends and combining of audiences and producers

Theory: Jenkins

•  Theorist Jenkins introduced the idea of the Fandom Theory. With the increasing use of Web 2.0, fans who enjoy content so much can create content based upon it - another example of prosumers - and form communities.

Case Study: Mandalorian fan hired

• For example, fanpages on social media. An example of this is a Mandalorian fan who noticed an error in the CGI of a young Luke Skywalker, and edited it to make it more accurate. Because of this, he was hired by LucasFilms, and the scene he edited was used in the TV series.

Paragraph 3: 

Topic: Change in film distribution

• Film distribution is the commercial process that makes a feature film available to the general public. It usually also includes determining a marketing strategy
• In the older days, major film distributing companies put a movie in theaters, it ran there for about a year, and then it was gone. However, now they stay in theaters for shorter amounts of time but get put on streaming devices so people can watch them at home on their mobile devices
  

Case Study: Scarjo Black Widow simultaneous release & Netflix

• Movies are now doing simultaneous releases, as data shows people are more likely to watch films at home that are under 'recently released in theaters' categories, boosting the on-demand sales by people at home
• Allows for distribution to bypass theater releases altogether
• Included in simultaneous releases
• Immediately accessible
• Now is taking over cinematic distribution by exclusively premiering movies released on the same day the film debuts in select IMAX theaters
• Recently announce a deal with Adam Sandler, having the comedian star in four new feature films, confirming that Netflix aims not only to distribute certain films exclusively to members, but to actually make those movies as well, and consequently becoming a one-stop shop for production and exhibition
  
  
• After 2009 financial crisis, some companies went bankrupt, while others were purchased. A few also merged to increase market share
• This resulted in fewer bug media companies, but the ones that remained were larger than ever before
• E.g. Comcast owns NBCUniversal, Viacom owns Paramount, AT&T owns Warner Brothers, Disney owns Fox
  
  
• These big tech and media companies, shifted from the 'four quadrant theatrical blockbusters' mindset (appealing to the 4 key areas of the moviegoing audience: women under 25, men under 25, women over 25, and men over 25), and focused on learning what audiences liked to watch
• This allows them to make informed decisions about which movies/shows to greenlight, and market to their subscribers more efficiently
  
  
• When movie studios were singularly owned, they had to make money with their yearly release schedule
• Now that they've become subsumed by giant media conglomerates, this has changed
• Movies no longer need to make money to be considered valuable assets
• Movies now can get audiences to subscribe to streaming services. E.g., if you want to watch a certain movie that's available on Amazon prime, they can now make money from you long-term

Quote:

• "Power is concentrated with those who hold distribution right, where it was a studio system but now large platforms"
• One growing concern in the documentary world is that some distributors, especially major platforms, are so commercially driven that their contracts might be prohibitive for a film's impact campaign and therefore its eventual social change 
• The industry needs to consider greater access to such content as well as audiences who don't subscribe to Netflix or have high-speed internet access

Paragraph 5:

Topic: Streaming services

Theory: Uses & Gratifications Theory

• The Uses and Gratifications Theory proposes that people choose to consume certain kinds of media because they expect to obtain specific gratifications as a result of those selections

Case Study: Netflix & HBO

HBO:

• "It's not TV, it's HBO:" 

  • HBO is planning on bringing its brand and content in a meaningful and permanent way to NZ
  • The newly merged Warner Bros Discovery announced it would be combining its streaming services - HBO Max and Discovery+ - and taking those brands global (right now they aren't accessible in NZ though)
    
    
  • It is reported that the new, as-yet-untitled streaming service will launch in the US next year, followed by Latin America, Europe, and in mid-2024, all Asia-Pacific countries
  • The new service will include all Warner Bros movies, plus every piece of content from Sony Pictures, DC and Discovery+
  
  
  Disadvantages: 
  • Despite this being good for TV fans, it could be very bad for the streaming service Sky. For years, Sky has had exclusive NZ streaming rights to HBO's content, and has built several channels, including SoHo and Neon, around them
  • Because of this, it is hard to see that Sky TV will be allowed to continue streaming any of those shows

  
  

Netflix:

• Netflix is making its first big move beyond TV shows and films, planning an expansion into video games and has hired a former Electronic Arts and Facebook executive to lead the effort. Mike Verdu, previous vice president of Facebook and now of game development, is in charge of working with developers to bring games and other content to virtual-reality headsets.

• The games will appear alongside current fare as a new programming genre, similar to what Netflix did with documentaries or stand-up specials, and is currently not planning to charge extra for the content.

• Changing how consumers view content:

  • before consumers went to the movies, rented VHS tapes or DVDs and watched TV live
  • now, consumers can stream content instantly to any device anywhere
  • Netflix has changed how consumers access film and TV
  • No longer have to sit through ads and commercials

Quote:

• "This is a natural extension of its Netflix's content strategy, allowing it to mine intellectual property from popular shows like 'Stranger Things'. Though it may not generate  much additional revenue, it will help deepen engagement and increase the service's appeal and pricing power."