The new British invasion: Why Amazon, Hulu and Netflix love UK TV shows
By Liz Shannon Miller
GigaOm.com
Apr. 1, 2014 - 11:29 AM PDT
http://gigaom.com/2014/04/01/the-new-british-invasion-why-amazon-hulu-and-netflix-love-uk-tv-shows/
Summary: The new content battleground might be on the other side of the
Atlantic: U.K. television is increasingly being picked up for exclusive
streaming deals — showing just much the media landscape has changed.
For decades, American fans of British accents had it rough. Beginning in
the 1970s, the primary access they had to television created in the
United Kingdom was through PBS, which imported classic series like
Fawlty Towers and Doctor Who to fill out the hours of programming not
devoted to Sesame Street and pledge drives.
Said airings were often months behind the U.K., and even as DVRs and
digital streaming came on the scene, U.K. TV still struggled to find its
way to America legally. The irony, of course, is that British television
has consistently been heralded as some of the best in the world (well,
maybe Doctor Who isn’t for everyone, but we can all agree about the
original British Office).
Now, however, things have changed. streaming services based in the US
have embraced television from across the pond, and as a result, British
television has never been bigger in the US.
Charlotte Koh, head of content development for Hulu Originals,
acknowledged this in an email interview, pointing out that the service
has acquired a wide range of programming from around the world over the
past few years (including Korean dramas, Japanese anime and the original
foreign versions of American series like Homeland and The Bridge). But,
she said, “In particular, British television has become the cornerstone
of our international programming.”
These shows range from popular favorites like Who and Sherlock (which
are also available on Netflix and Amazon Prime) to exclusive runs on
award-winning dramas and comedies like Misfits, Moone Boy and Rev.
“Our audience tends to be a more discerning group of viewers who seek
out and appreciate the distinctive and unique qualities of British
television,” Koh said.
It helps that Hulu hasn’t been shy about putting some promotional muscle
behind its programming: When The Wrong Mans premiered last November, it
not only garnered strong reviews but received no shortage of print
advertising, including billboards all over Los Angeles.
“By supporting our originals with well-targeted advertising and
publicity, we’ve seen a meaningful uptick in awareness not only for The
Wrong Mans, but for Hulu Originals overall,” Koh said.
Meanwhile, Amazon Prime Instant Video’s stable of exclusive
international content isn’t as large as Hulu’s, but they’ve been at it
for a much shorter period of time: While Hulu was making these deals as
far back as 2011, Amazon made Downton Abbey its first exclusive
streaming acquisition only a year ago.
But according to Amazon’s director of digital video content acquisition,
Brad Beale, making that call was a no-brainer for them: “The series was
consistently in our top most watched TV shows each week so we already
knew customers loved this show,” he said. “It was an easy decision to
add it to Prime.”
It’s even popular for those who don’t subscribe to Amazon Prime, but do
pay for individual episodes or season passes. “Our customers can’t seem
to get enough of the show,” Beale said.
On top of the many American shows Amazon now streams exclusively, Amazon
is also host to the first season of Orphan Black (which is shot in
Canada, but airs on BBC America in the States and BBC3 in the U.K.) and
Mr. Selfridge (starring Jeremy Piven).
Even Netflix is in on the game. It’s picked up series from the U.K. like
the Gillian Anderson-starring The Fall to Ricky Gervais’s Derek
exclusively for streaming.
Of course, the British TV boom in America might have to do with the fact
that it’s not seen as primarily British. “Given the growing popularity
of shows such as Moone Boy and The Wrong Mans, viewers are more focused
on a show’s originality and adept storytelling and less about its
geographical origins,” Koh mentioned.
And thus, British TV’s popularity outside of the U.K. speaks less to the
popularity of international television on a domestic level, and more to
the drum being beaten louder and louder every day: Consumers,
increasingly, just don’t care. They don’t care if the show originated on
Netflix or NBC, and they don’t care what country it was made in. The one
thing that makes them care is if it’s good.
British television, right now? Happens to be pretty good. “The U.K. has
a vibrant creative community that is recombining and redefining genres
to deliver some of the best television currently available anywhere,”
Koh said. And that is ultimately what’s bringing viewers in.
The question remains: What happens when all the quality British TV has
been snapped up? Perhaps there’s Canada…
--
=================================================
George Antunes Voice (713) 743-3923
Associate Professor Fax (713) 743-3927
Political Science Mail: antunes at uh dot edu
University of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-3011
_______________________________________________
Medianews mailing list
[email protected]
http://etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews_etskywarn.net
