The broadcast television era produced content for mass audiences. By contrast, the post-broadcast era allows users to customize their viewing experiences, and to form viewing communities better tailored to niche tastes and preferences. Streaming television can therefore enhance a sense of shared community and collective experience through media consumption. What are the arguments for and against this statement? Answer using specific examples from SVOD services and contemporary Australian television content.
The question addresses a fundamental shift in the way audiences consume television content, contrasting the broadcast era with the post-broadcast era dominated by streaming video-on-demand (SVOD) services. In the broadcast era, content was created to appeal to a mass audience, with limited channels and a schedule-based format. In contrast, the post-broadcast era, characterized by SVOD services such as Netflix, Stan, and Amazon Prime Video, enables viewers to curate their viewing experiences according to their specific tastes and preferences. Consequently, the question asks whether streaming television enhances a sense of shared community and collective experience, a key component of traditional broadcast television, through media consumption.
In answering this question, this essay will explore the arguments both for and against the statement that streaming television can enhance a sense of shared community and collective experience. It will first define the key terms of the debate: the broadcast era, the post-broadcast era, and the role of shared community and collective experience in media consumption. The essay will then proceed to explore how SVOD services foster niche communities through personalized content, offering the ability to form micro-communities. At the same time, the counterarguments will address how streaming fragments the viewing audience, potentially undermining the communal experience associated with traditional television. The essay will analyze the broader implications of these arguments in the context of Australian television content, concluding with a synthesis of both perspectives.
The era of broadcast television, from the mid-20th century to the early 21st century, is defined by content production aimed at large, undifferentiated audiences. Broadcast networks such as Australia's ABC or Channel Nine followed a rigid schedule of programming, offering shows intended to attract the largest possible audience. This structure facilitated what Benedict Anderson called “imagined communities” (Anderson, 1983), where individuals, although geographically dispersed, could feel a sense of collective participation in national or cultural conversations through simultaneous media consumption.
For example, iconic television events like the AFL Grand Final or the Melbourne Cup were televised to millions of Australians, generating a shared, synchronous viewing experience that transcended geographical boundaries. Viewers could later discuss these events at work, school, or in social settings, creating a sense of shared cultural touchpoints. Shows like "Neighbours" and "Home and Away" further solidified this collective experience by providing narratives that reflected shared social norms and values.
The communal viewing experience during the broadcast era was predicated on the limitations of technology: with fewer channels, limited recording options, and the absence of on-demand viewing, audiences were compelled to watch television in real-time. This encouraged the formation of watercooler moments, where viewers could bond over what they had seen on TV the previous night.
The post-broadcast era, which emerged with the rise of SVOD platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and Stan, marked a radical departure from the broadcast model. Instead of delivering content according to a fixed schedule, SVOD services provide vast libraries of content that users can access at any time. This shift towards personalization has enabled viewers to tailor their media consumption to suit their individual tastes. Streaming platforms utilize algorithms to recommend content based on viewing history, preferences, and behavior, allowing for a highly individualized viewing experience.
This new model supports the argument that streaming services have facilitated the rise of niche viewing communities. By catering to a wide range of genres, languages, and subcultures, SVOD services create spaces for viewers with highly specific interests to form micro-communities. For example, Netflix’s algorithm might recommend Australian viewers a local series like "The Bureau of Magical Things," a family-friendly fantasy show, or niche international series such as South Korean dramas, fostering engagement with content that aligns with viewers’ personal tastes. Additionally, online platforms and social media offer spaces for these niche communities to discuss their shared viewing experiences, thereby creating a sense of community among individuals with similar interests.
In Australia, this is evident in the rise of local content on streaming platforms that caters to particular demographics, such as the youth-oriented series "Bump" on Stan or Indigenous-led narratives like "Mystery Road" on ABC iview. These shows, while not attracting the same mass audience as broadcast hits, allow for engagement with specific communities that might have otherwise been overlooked by mainstream television.
Another argument in favor of the statement that SVOD enhances a sense of shared community is the rise of fandoms, where passionate viewers engage with content in a deeper, more sustained manner. Shows like Netflix's "Stranger Things" or HBO’s "Game of Thrones" have developed extensive fan communities, where individuals from around the world engage in discussions, fan theories, and content creation through social media platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and YouTube.
Australian content has also seen the rise of such niche fan communities. The Australian drama "Wentworth," a remake of the 1980s prison series "Prisoner," garnered a dedicated following both locally and internationally. The show’s complex characters and intense storylines led to online discussions, fan art, and conventions, illustrating how streaming services can foster a sense of community even with more niche content.
This form of engagement is significantly different from the passive consumption that characterized the broadcast era. Instead, viewers now have the opportunity to actively participate in the cultural discourse surrounding their favorite shows, enhancing a sense of community and collective experience.
However, the shift towards personalized, on-demand viewing has also led to a fragmentation of the audience. Unlike the broadcast era, where millions of viewers might tune in simultaneously to watch a national event, the asynchronous nature of streaming means that fewer shows are consumed by a broad cross-section of society at the same time. This fragmentation has contributed to the erosion of shared cultural touchstones, as audiences are no longer watching the same content at the same time.
For example, while a show like "Stranger Things" has a global fan base, its release model—where an entire season is made available at once—means that viewers watch at their own pace. Some viewers binge the entire series on the day of release, while others may take weeks or months to finish. This diminishes the possibility of a truly collective viewing experience, as conversations about the show may become staggered or fractured over time. In contrast, broadcast television’s episodic release schedule encouraged viewers to watch in sync and discuss episodes as they aired, maintaining a sense of collective engagement over a longer period.
In the Australian context, this fragmentation is evident in the divergence between traditional broadcast programming and SVOD content. Shows like the aforementioned "AFL Grand Final" or long-running news programs on free-to-air channels still draw mass audiences, but they are exceptions rather than the norm. With so much content available on streaming platforms, viewers are less likely to converge around the same shows or events, potentially weakening the cultural bonds that once united them through shared media consumption.
In response to this fragmentation, some SVOD platforms have experimented with hybrid models that blend the personalization of streaming with the communal viewing experiences of broadcast television. This can be seen in the growing popularity of simulcasting live events, where SVOD platforms stream content simultaneously with its broadcast on traditional television. This strategy aims to capture both the immediacy of live television and the convenience of on-demand viewing.
In Australia, for example, streaming platforms like 7plus and Kayo Sports have begun simulcasting major sporting events such as the Australian Open and NRL matches. By allowing viewers to watch in real-time while also offering on-demand access, these platforms help recreate the communal viewing experience that characterized the broadcast era. This hybrid approach suggests that while streaming services fragment audiences through personalized content, they can still facilitate collective experiences for certain types of programming, particularly live events.
The transition from the broadcast era to the post-broadcast era has undeniably changed the way we consume television, with significant implications for community and collective experience. On one hand, SVOD services have empowered viewers to curate their own viewing experiences, offering content that caters to diverse tastes and fostering niche communities. The rise of fandoms and online discussion platforms has enhanced opportunities for shared engagement around specific shows, even if those shows do not appeal to a mass audience.
However, the asynchronous nature of streaming also fragments audiences, reducing the likelihood of shared cultural touchstones that once united viewers in the broadcast era. While simulcasting and live event streaming offer potential solutions to this problem, the post-broadcast era has undeniably shifted the balance towards individualized, rather than collective, media consumption.
Ultimately, whether streaming television enhances a sense of shared community depends on the type of content being consumed and the viewing behaviors of audiences. While niche communities can thrive in the fragmented landscape of SVOD, the broader sense of a unified cultural experience may be diminished in this new era of personalized media. Australia, like many other nations, is navigating this balance, with its television industry exploring both traditional and digital models to cater to changing audience behaviors.
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