The role of public service media in sustaining TV drama in small markets

TY - JOUR

T1 - The role of public service media in sustaining TV drama in small markets

AU - Raats, Tim

AU - Jensen, Pia Majbritt

PY - 2021/11

Y1 - 2021/11

N2 - Via a comparative case study of VRT/Flanders and DR/Denmark, we investigate the role of public service media in sustaining the expensive but important genre of TV drama in small markets in the face of recent cut-backs, shifting revenues and global competition. While the study shows some similarities, there are notable differences between the two. VRT has significantly higher production volume and commissions most productions externally, thus supporting the sustainability of the wider Flemish TV production market. DR has lower production volume and produces largely in-house, enabling larger budgets per series and, hence, higher production values, which in turn has contributed to an upwards global export spiral for DR, thus supporting the sustainability of DR’s drama content itself.

AB - Via a comparative case study of VRT/Flanders and DR/Denmark, we investigate the role of public service media in sustaining the expensive but important genre of TV drama in small markets in the face of recent cut-backs, shifting revenues and global competition. While the study shows some similarities, there are notable differences between the two. VRT has significantly higher production volume and commissions most productions externally, thus supporting the sustainability of the wider Flemish TV production market. DR has lower production volume and produces largely in-house, enabling larger budgets per series and, hence, higher production values, which in turn has contributed to an upwards global export spiral for DR, thus supporting the sustainability of DR’s drama content itself.

KW - DR

KW - TV drama

KW - VRT

KW - public service broadcasting

KW - small media markets

KW - sustainability

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85083357428&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1177/1527476420913398

DO - 10.1177/1527476420913398

M3 - Journal article

SN - 1527-4764

VL - 21

SP - 835

EP - 855

JO - Television & New Media

JF - Television & New Media

IS - 5

M1 - 1527476420913398

ER -