Abstract
This article discusses online media’s contribution to the youthification of television through the case study of DRUCK (tr. Pressure, 2018–), the German format adaptation of SKAM (tr. Shame, 2015–17). Youthification is understood as the television industry’s attempts to reach and win back teen and tween viewers with strategies in production, representations, aesthetics and distribution. In DRUCK, online media are integral to the youthification in all these strategies. Our multifaceted analysis of this serial combines perspectives from media industry studies to investigate production strategies, sociological analysis of film and television to examine the thematic and narrative choices and theories of transmedia storytelling to make sense of the specific distribution choices.
Highlights
In Germany, like in other countries, television viewing habits of young people are changing, with linear television consumption decreasing (Egger and Gerhard, 2019: 391– 392) and fiction in particular being watched most commonly on subscription video on demand (SVOD) services (Medienpadagogischer Forschungsverbund Südwest, 2020: 37)
In our following analysis of DRUCK, we argue that online media are integral to the youthification on all these levels, to a greater extent than in other contemporary teen television series from Germany
The fifth and sixth seasons of DRUCK, which were released from September 2020 to February 2021, are about a new teen ensemble; it is a further departure from SKAM, which maintained the same cast and lasted for only four seasons
Summary
In Germany, like in other countries, television viewing habits of young people are changing, with linear television consumption decreasing (Egger and Gerhard, 2019: 391– 392) and fiction in particular being watched most commonly on SVOD services (Medienpadagogischer Forschungsverbund Südwest, 2020: 37). 2018–present), the German format adaptation of the Norwegian transmedia drama SKAM (2015–17), points to an online approach in representation and distribution: the transmedia youth drama by the public service content network funk tells the stories of a group of young students at a Berlin-based high school via different online platforms. This article takes a closer look at the case of DRUCK and discusses how the youthification of television takes place through online media in production strategies and narrative choices. In our following analysis of DRUCK, we argue that online media are integral to the youthification on all these levels, to a greater extent than in other contemporary teen television series from Germany. SKAM’s real-time approach promised a fruitful way of combining television and online media, of linear and non-linear distribution to reach teenage audiences. The fifth and sixth seasons of DRUCK, which were released from September 2020 to February 2021, are about a new teen ensemble; it is a further departure from SKAM, which maintained the same cast and lasted for only four seasons
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
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 call
