Abstract
This article investigates the experiential affordances of watching online TV as outcomes of the material underpinnings of online TV and the actions taken by viewers. Potential experiential changes derive from how online TV services can be considered libraries of content affording self-scheduling action possibilities. Such changes need to be situated in the slow-to-change conditions of television viewing. We draw on a qualitative study of how viewers respond to the action possibilities and constraints of online TV services. We argue that potentials for individualized viewing are counterbalanced by television viewing as a social activity. Next, self-scheduling ties in with viewing as a deliberate action, appropriated to create experiences where attentiveness is tailored to what is narratively required. Finally, flow schedules are replaced with programed paths constraining the agency of viewers.
Highlights
The history of television is commonly narrated as one marked by continuous technological and cultural transformation
The emergence and increasing use of online TV services may in this context represent a distinct phase, requiring re-thinking definitions of television as a medium (Jenner 2016; Johnson 2019)
Lotz et al (2018, 42) likewise note that audience studies are required “before we can theorize the experiential dimensions of internet-distributed television in ways that are conceptually robust.”
Summary
The history of television is commonly narrated as one marked by continuous technological and cultural transformation. Our findings delineate how individualized viewing patterns are counterbalanced by the continued social position of TV; how self-scheduling ties in with deliberate watching; and how service providers create programed paths through content libraries, constraining the agency of viewers. Viewers may for example have opportunities to watch shows that fit their individual preferences but may still experience a pull toward the social role of television: watching together with family and friends and talking about the same shows (Lull 1990) Within this context of what changes and what remains the same, there are some more disputed consequences of online TV. Positioning viewers as in control reflects how Netflix, in particular, uses terms such as “user freedom” and “active audiences” rhetorically to promote itself as the future of television and as a service in tune with user needs and demands (Burroughs 2019; Tryon 2015). Viewing practices may be more varied than what is captured with binge-viewing, encompassing different levels of attentiveness depending on the intricacy unfolding on the screen
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
