3 - The Rise of Networks

Summary

The formation of a TV GVC was decades in the making. At the core of the historical process lies the industry’s global shift, which began in the last two decades of the twentieth century (the end of the broadcasting age) and accelerated in the new millennium (towards the streaming era). Documenting the early part of this shift is the purpose of this chapter, which focuses on the broadcasting age and broadcasters in the streaming era, providing an overview of the growth of cross-border trade in finished programming (e.g. drama) and TV formats (adapted shows such as reality TV), and the formation of transnational TV networks. This chapter adopts a bird’s-eye view and concentrates on those aspects of the shift that are most apparent, restricting the analysis to the market-facing activities of lead firms and the industry’s consumer brands.