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Thepost-network era, also known as the post-broadcast era,[1] is a concept in American television that was popularized byAmanda D. Lotz. It denotes the period that followed an earliernetwork era, the nation's first institutional phase that started in the 1950s and ran through to the mid-1980s, and television's latermulti-channel transition.[2] It describes a period that saw the deterioration of the dominance of theBig Three television networks:ABC,CBS andNBC in the United States, and follows the creation of a wide variety ofcable television channels that catered specifically to niche groups. The post-network era saw the development of networks that deliver a wider diversity of programming choice, less constraints on a consumers choice of medium, decentralization of the location of viewing, and freedom of choice over time of viewing. It is concurrent with theSecond Golden Age of Television.
ForAmanda D. Lotz, the post-network era has been defined by five C's: "choice, control, convenience, customization, and community".[3] These five concepts, which have defined the post-network era, all relate to the ways in which viewers have greater access to a wider array of content which can be consumed on their own terms. The concept comes from the field ofTelevision studies, and has been used by various academics to discuss numerous different topics.[4][5][6] The concept has been endorsed by media scholarHenry Jenkins, co-director of the Media Industries Project Michael Curtin, and American Studies, and Film and Media professorJason Mittell.[7][8]
Vast modifications were made to the way in which the television industry was operated following the earlierNetwork era and a period ofMulti-channel transition. The major factor governing the transition to a post-network paradigm was a computational and generational shift in the audience. These emergent developments in the post-network era have led television audiences to split attention between many different channels, devices, and forms of media asTelevision programs are no longer confined to theTelevision set.[9]
The development of technologies with timeshifting abilities such as theVCR andDVR rendered broadcast times irrelevant, and also shifted discussion away from simple differentiation between cable and free-to-air television.[10] Although much of this technological change coincided with the Multi-channel transition, its effect can be felt well into the post-network era, creating the groundwork for future technological developments includingHulu andNetflix On-Demand.
The increasingdigitization of content has presented viewers with an increasing level of access to high quality televisual content onDVD and online.[10] This has fostered the development of new portable methods of delivering media that help to bring television to spaces outside of the home.[11] Consequently, multiple newrevenue streams have emerged as television networks are able to sell shows through online storefronts likeiTunes. The DVD market, too, has become a financially viable place to extract additional profits from television shows post-broadcast.[10] In the case of animated sitcomFamily Guy, this even led to the show's renewal in 2005 due to strong DVD sales, four years after its initial cancellation.
In order to reap the benefits of advertising in an era where television programs are no longer necessarily watched first-run on network television station, advertisers have innovated, usingproduct placement in more popular television shows and producing their ownbranded entertainment, a form of media in which the content and advertising messages are inextricably linked.[12] This differs from traditional advertising practices that only saw the broadcast of a number of 30-second adverts in chunks during pre-planned ad-breaks.[13]
A major aspect of the post-network era has been the development of new technologies that change the ways in which television is consumed and distributed. These technological changes have come about with the invention of thetablet, the use ofsmart phones, web-enabled devices connected to the television like many modern gaming consoles saw the subsequent development and wide uptake ofonline VOD services likeNetflix andHulu, as well as specific, network-branded streaming services.[14] This shift in technology created a new-found level of convenience and mobility for viewers, as television trends towards a situation in which you can watch "whatever show you want, whenever you want, on whatever screen you want".[15]Amanda D. Lotz argues that technologies likeNetflix andNBC,Fox, andABC's ownHulu have clearly impacted the way in which we access television, allowing us to catch up on television shows whenever we please rather than adhering to a first run schedule.Hulu also allows for interaction between fans of television shows while they are watching episodes through the site's inbuilt comment feature, creating the sort of immersive media experience and fostering aparticipatory culture of affiliation, two major interests ofHenry Jenkins. This technological change also brings a change in theatricality, as television producers respond to the ways in which their audiences watch television.[16]
One major development in the post-network era has been a fragmented cable network system, with each network presenting contents to cater to specific target audiences rather than a homogeneous mass audience.Magazines had done this for similar reasons a century earlier. As consumers began to watch television programs on tablets and cell phones in their own time, niche channels emerged from the expansion of cable television networks, advertising became integrated into television shows rather than ad-breaks, and people were no longer tied to a 24-week first-run broadcast cycle.
Producers responded to changing consumption patterns by changing the ways in which they produce television content, which resulted in the creation of shows likeSex and the City,Breaking Bad andArrested Development (which aired onnetwork television) with features that were unrepresentative of those developed in the Network era and during the Multi-channel transition.[17][18]
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