The rise of foreign language TV dramas

The rise of foreign-language TV: Blog tasks

To continue our work on Deutschland 83, we need to read a range of articles on the foreign-language TV phenomenon. When answering the questions, consider the issues from both an audience and industry perspective.

Independent: British viewers can't get enough of foreign-language dramas

1) What does the article suggest regarding the traditional audience for foreign-language subtitled media?

The article suggests that a traditional audience would see a foreign-language as different to what they usually would watch and would be hard to get the narrative.


2) What does Walter Iuzzolino suggest is the key appeal of his 'Walter Presents' shows?

The key appeal of his 'Walter present' shows would be a partnership with channel 4 and global sales network as a way to stream foreign media shows for a wider audience. 


3) The article makes an interesting claim for the popularity of subtitles in the multi-screen age. What does it suggest?

The article suggests that rise in foreign tv shows with subtitles would particularly give to the younger generations who are more likely to explore new shows for the to consume. This means that there is more diversity in terms of different genres now available to stream on any platform. 
4) What are the other audiences pleasures of foreign TV drama suggested by the article?

The other audience pleasures of foreign TV drama would be different representation not really shown in mainstream television and different cultures for surveillance and diversion. 
Now look at the bonus article - on Sherlock and how viewers are steering their favourite shows.

5) What examples are provided of how TV companies are increasingly using audiences to inform the production process?
The tv companies would be the tv shows Sherlock holmes which as strong and active fan base especially in Asia this means that they had the production team and have an active response and subtitles between fans and production which increased their traffic and their numbers.



Film School Rejects: The foreign TV dramas you're missing out on


1) What does the article tell us about Deutschland 83's release schedule?

The article states that the release of Deutschland 83' was on 17th of June 2015 in the UK which means that the release schedule for foreign tv dramas would be different depending on network.

2) The article contains important statistics on viewing figures in different countries. What were the German viewing figures for the first and last episode? What were Channel's 4's viewing figures for Deutschland 83?

The german viewing figures from the first episode was 3.19 million views which dropped down as result being 1.63 million views from the last episode.

3) Who are the two production and distribution companies behind Deutschland 83 and what did they announce in October?

The two production companies were FremantleMedia & SundanceTV. They had announced a second season which would be called Deutschland 86'.

4) What does the article suggest was the driving force behind the series being renewed for a new season (and possibly two new seasons)?

The driving force would be because of the streaming views in the US and Britain which had a reason for a second season.

5) How does Walter Iuzzolino use social media to engage audiences in new international TV dramas? How does he suggest this has changed the reception of foreign productions in the UK?

Walter Luzzolino would post things on his Facebook that was dedicated to Deutschland 83' this would engage with his fans and get them questioning the little snippets given to them and ask questions on Twitter. 



IndieWire: The rise of international television



1) What does the article suggest regarding the difference between TV and film?

The article suggests that TV shows are tailored for a specific audience and what they want to gain from watching that show whereas film is a universal theme which anyone can explore and watch. This means that film isn't "culturally specific".

2) What cultural differences are highlighted in the article - for example in turning 'Prisoners of War' into 'Homeland' when remade in the US?

The cultural differences highlighted in these two movies would be one was about "prisoners of war" and the other was an agent investigating the corruption within the soldiers themselves.

3) Why do you think Deutschland 83 was able to rise above these cultural differences to be successful in the US and UK? Did this inadvertently make the drama fail in Germany?

This tv show was able to rise above these cultural differences because of the high viewing audience were from the UK and Britain. 

4) What does the article suggest about subtitling?

The article suggests that subtitling  hard to understand at first but would engage more and they would understand the narrative more clear and would bring more emotions involved.

5) What does Sopranos actor Steven Van Zandt suggest is the appeal in foreign television drama?

Van zandt suggested that the appeal in foreign television would come from understanding different cultures in a form of entertainment as it brings a different perspective into light.



The Guardian: How tech is changing television



1) What are the traditional lengths for TV drama and what dictated these programme formats?

The traditional length for a TV drama would be between 60, 30 or 15 minutes. This had come from the licence fee of 60 minutes of uninterrupted commercials.

2) How have streaming services such as Netflix or Amazon Prime changed the way TV drama narratives are constructed?

They have changed the way tv drama narrative are constructed as the audience can now binge any show without having to wait for each episode to come out. 

3) Why has the rise in streaming led to more complex storylines and an increase in cliffhangers?

This is because cliffhangers are how an audience engages with that's specific tv show until the next season and keeps their streaming numbers up. 

4) How have the "economics of production" kept TV drama largely sticking to the 45- or 60-minute episode format?

This means that they have to maximize the costs for actors which evidently leads to a smaller time frame per episode.

5) How has "permanent 24/7 connectivity" changed both the production and consumption of TV drama?

This means that the audience can engage with producers on many different social media platforms to bring up concerns or opinions they have which then they can take into account to fit their interests.