Digitization, Multiplatform Texts, and Audience Reception

Abstract

This article reflects on the consequences of digitization for multiplatform television/media production, the ways in which it affects textual expressions, and how this might have a bearing on changing audience roles. It takes its departure empirically from two Swedish examples of multiplatform production: The Truth About Marika and Labyrint, produced by SVT and TV4, respectively. It is argued that multiplatform media texts challenge our conceptions of categories such as work, text, program, etc., and, following from that, also challenge our notions of audience activity and engagement.

Notes

¹In 2001 MTG (Modern Times Group), a major Swedish media house running the telecommunications company Tele2 in addition to several newspapers and radio and TV channels, encouraged their staff in radio and television to construct programs where listeners and viewers could send in text messages via SMS. The reasons were to encourage pay-SMS services (often around five SEK per message) and to encourage mobile traffic generally, as MTG also owned the telephone service provider Tele2 (Stiernstedt, 2009).

² Thanks to Jonathan Gray for comments that helped me clarify my arguments on paratexts.

³See, for example, http://ragnevi.blogspot.com/2007_10_26_archive.html, accessed June 11, 2009.

⁴A presentation in English can be found at http://www.svt.se/svt/road/Classic/shared/mediacenter/index.jsp?&d=71376. Accessed September 29, 2009.

⁵All information about The Truth About Marika is — unless stated otherwise — taken from the official Web site of the show: http://svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=73202. Accessed September 29, 2009.

⁶ http://www.svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=81616&lid=puff_1007050&lpos=extra_0. Accessed September 29, 2009.

⁷A “click start” indicates that someone has clicked the link to watch the streamed content. From that, however, it does not follow that one knows for how long the person has taken part of the content.

⁸Figures from Hans G. Andersson, SVT web survey, email October 13, 2008.