Emerging Dynamics in Audiences’ Consumption of Trans-Media Products: The Cases of Mad Men and Game Of Thrones as a Comparative Study Between Italy and New Zealand

Abstract

Television as a traditional medium has been changing for a number of years due to the growing proliferation of platforms through which multiple forms of media are deeply interconnected. In this multi-modal environment rich in on-demand content, audiences align with and take advantage of the options created for them by media companies. They operate as active users by processing various media texts at the same time and exercising control over their viewing schedules, and by integrating media content into their lives according to new patterns of consumption. The objective of this PhD project is to investigate this new form of agency possessed by audiences with reference to two television texts: Mad Men (AMC, 2007 - 2015) and Game of Thrones (HBO, 2011 - present). The two selected American TV shows are typical products of the “convergence era” (Jenkins 2008), which is characterized by trans-media storytelling as a strategy employed by media conglomerates with the aim being to generate emotional investment in, and ongoing engagement with, media texts. The research is structured as a comparative study between two countries: Italy and New Zealand. Comparative research has been used by scholars as a valid way to investigate audience practices. However, there is still a dearth of international, cross-cultural comparisons. In selecting and comparing two nations that are outside the dominant media market of production (the US) but where these shows have nonetheless had considerable impact, my study aims to explore the specificities of audiences’ behaviors and habits in relation to their cultural context. To gather data for my analysis, I employed both online surveys and focus groups. The surveys were aimed at gathering information from a large sample about fan consumption practices and enabling the comparison of variables in this study. The findings from the focus groups form the bulk of the research analysis and provide significant insights about the particular traits and attitudes exhibited by national audiences in their engagement with international programs that are exemplary for the age of media convergence.