Thursday 11 May 2023

TV industry: audience and industry questions 2

Explore how Humans meets the needs of specialised audiences [15]


Humans meets the needs of its specialised audience through a variety of interesting and highly considered ways


  • Entertainment 

  • Escapism 

  • Fandom

  • Social interaction

  • Information 

  • Sexual gratification 

  • Intertextual reference to other sci-fi films 

  • Blade Runner (ECU eye)

  • Pre-sold audience

  • Ethics of AI

  • Hegemonically attractive synths

  • Anita’s sexual fetishization 

  • Postcolonialism - some audiences' needs are NOT met! Highly stereotypical representations may polarise BME audiences 

  • Gauntlet pick and mix audience identity - white middle class audiences can identify with the nuclear family!

  • Multi strand narrative - wide range of potential audiences and characters!

  • Bandura and the effects model direct effect on audience? 

  • Clay Shirky end of audience - online forums like reddit 

  • Reception theory - the ideology of the producer encodes the needs of the audience 

  • Cultivation theory - Humans cultivates ideological perspectives related to the sci fi/AI narrative “what is humanity” 

  • The introduction presents sci fi conventions (MES, synth soundtrack, distorted visuals) 

  • Final montage - 

  • Cliff-hanger ending! Social interaction!

  • Watercooler television 


Explore how economic factors influenced the production of The Returned [15]


  • Much of the funding came from the European Arts association - indie productions rely on diverse funding 

  • Alps tourist board funded hoping for tourism

  • Atypical of its genre

  • Targeting a specialising 

  • Not a guaranteed financial success 

  • Average of 1 million viewers per episode - successful for an independent show 

  • Canal + - huge French/multinational media conglomerate

  • Premium cable channel 

  • A specialised show for a specialised audience 

  • Representations of middle class white French people clearly target the target audience 

  • Remade for US audiences and did terribly 

  • French values and ideologies - the setting, representations and MES are all quintessentially idle class French  

  • Inclusion of Mogwai for soundtrack demonstrates high production values 

  • Use of Mogwai = international audience 

  • Hesmondhalgh - cultural industries. Minimise risk maximise profit 

  • Narrative fixated on romance 

  • Straightforward (if confusing) narrative 

  • Canal + has brand identity 

  • Lots of attractive characters 

  • Regulation - the sex scene may be provocative to international audience s

  • Channel 4, moved to More 4 to target a niche audience 

  • Late night time slot 

  • 2050 time slot for Canal +

  • $14million for series 1

  • Series 2 less successful, emphasising niche audience and audience appeal

  • 1.79million$$$$$/episode 



Factors which could limit economic success 


  • French language 

  • Lack of diversity

  • Explicit sex scenes