Converging Technologies and Windowing Strategies

While the internet and digital convergence have engendered greater competition amongst television outlets and increased risks of piracy, they have also extended and enriched the availability of delivery platforms for television content and introduced new opportunities for intellectual property (IP) owners to develop overseas markets and to exploit their assets more effectively. This 18-month project, part of the RCUK-funded CREATe programme of research on copyright and changing business models (AH/K000179/1), has investigated how distribution strategies in the television industry are adjusting to the spread of digital platforms and devices. How is the transition to a digital multi-platform distribution environment affecting ‘windowing’ strategies for television content?

The central concern was to find out how strategies for distribution of television content via a series of exploitation windows are being re-shaped by the current transition to a more complex, multi-layered, competitive and globalized digital distribution environment. Fieldwork took place in 2015 and, focusing on the experience of a number of leading, successful UK television companies, the research questions addressed were:

  • In what ways have the key considerations involved in planning the release sequence for television content changed in response to digitization and multi-platform delivery?
  • To what extent are windowing strategies being re-shaped by greater opportunities surrounding international distribution?
  • How are the changing dynamics of windowing affected content development?

Project findings have been disseminated widely. Further details below.

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Conference Papers

  • Doyle, G (2016 – forthcoming), Paper on ‘TV content exploitation and the new dynamics of windowing’ at the International Conference on Cultural Economics, University of Valladolid, Spain, June 21-24.
  • Doyle, G (2016 – forthcoming), Paper on ‘Globalized digital distribution, the House of Cards effect and Windowing’, at the World Media Economics and Management Conference, Gabelli School of Business, Fordham University, New York, May 2-5.
  • Doyle, G (2015), Paper on ‘Digitisation and Changes in Windowing Strategies’ at the Conference of the European Policy for Intellectual Property Association, University of Glasgow, Sept 1-4.

Engagement

Doyle, G (2015), Invited plenary address on ‘Multi-platform distribution and changes in windowing strategies’ at the international conference on Private Television in Europe at the Vrije Universteit Brussel, Brussels, June 3.

Events

Doyle, G (2016), Organiser, ‘Digital convergence and Changing TV windowing strategies, End-project symposium at CREATe, University of Glasgow, March 18.

Publications

Doyle, G. (2016), Digitization and changing windowing strategies in the television industry: negotiating new windows on the world. Television and New Media, 17(7), pp. 629-645. 

Doyle, G. (2016), Television production, Funding Models and Exploitation of Content. ICONO14, 14(2), pp. 75-96.

Doyle, G (2017), Digitization and changing windowing strategies in the television industry: negotiating new windows on the world, CREATe Working Paper 2017/01.

Contact


Professor Gillian Doyle (Principal Investigator)