Innovation in television : an analysis of innovative elements in television programmes

Abstract

Television has been the medium of biggest impact in society over the last decades. However, rapid technological advances and globalisation are reshaping the long established characteristics of this media. A comprehensive review of the literature reveals that in this new context, television has to face new challenges in order to survive. On the one hand, immersed in a process towards media convergence, the role of television in the modem media scenery appears blurry. On the other hand, emerging digital, interactive, personalized and transnational television is being criticised for not innovating in the inner content and for not respecting television's traditional objectives of informing and educating the society. I have developed this research with the objective of learning how to benefit from the advantages offered by new technologies, how to respond to the demands of the audience and how to respect the principles of quality in order to create innovative television contents. With the intention of exploring these questions, I analysed 340 innovative television programmes from 54 countries and I conducted 4 interviews with international experts in television producing. This research concludes that there is a direct relationship between innovating, creating quality content and reaching success. It confirms that modem television can become a place for participation, democracy and intellectually challenging entertainment although it is stressed a need to redefine audiovisual contents in order to tum television into a successful and socially positive media in the future.