In what ways does the TV industry use specialised forms of distribution? Make reference to Humans in your answer. [15] [25 minutes]

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 In what ways does the TV industry use specialised forms of distribution? Make reference to Humans in your answer. [15] [25 minutes]

Knee jerk reaction:

Humans uses a range of forms of specialised distribution in order to maximise profit. 

Plan:

Distribution - Sharing a product to a number of people, how a media product is 'given out', making a media product available to an audience to consume it.

Channel 4 

AMC - Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Preacher.

Netflix (Streaming), Channel 4(Tv), DVD (Physical media). 

Cult audiences - Niche Sci-fi show

Guerilla marketing -> Pop-up augmented reality event on Regent Street

- Unconventional Persona TV advert diegetically situated

Persona Synthetics website

Viral marketing

transnational audiences 

Humans British Science fiction show made in 2015 as a transnational media production between Channel 4 and AMC.

Curren and Seaton: Power and the media industries

REMEMBER TO BRING IT BACK TO THE QUESTION. PLEASE. Dont go off track, I know you will.


 In what ways does the TV industry use specialised forms of distribution? Make reference to Humans in your answer. [15] [25 minutes]

For the purposes of this question, I'll be referring to the 2015 Science Fiction tv series, 'Humans', a mid-budget transnationally co-produced adaption of the 2012 Swedish show 'Real Humans',  financed by AMC from the US, popular for other shows such as Breaking Bad, and  The Walking Dead. As well as  Channel 4 from the UK. Humans makes usage of a range of forms of specialised distribution in order to maximise profit. 

One such specialised means of distribution, is the show's unconventional guerilla marketing techniques, that appeal towards the preferred niche, cult audience member. For example, the choice to have a diegetically based tv commercial, verbatim with what a character from within the show might see. This immediately works to benefit the show's marketing, due to standing out from the standard conventional advertisements. Alongside this, in nature, it is digitally convergent with a once active companion website, hashtag and social media account. this viral marketing in turn builds viewer engagement, and the foundations of the dedicated audience I mentioned, a Fandom. This is crucial for a niche middle-budget Science fiction series as these are the people most likely to purchase physical media like DVDs or merchandise from the show.

Another form of specialised distribution used to promote the show was a physical pop-up augmented reality event within Regent Street, London. Famous for it's high concentration of traffic of people, meaning a lot of curiosity spawned and furthering of the viral marketing strategy, word-of-mouth, that gets people talking and hopefully searching to learn more of the show, to then consume it as intended by the marketing team, at least on the British side of things. Meanwhile in the US, AMC's credibility of developing a variety of niche tv shows bolstered viewership when it was distributed there in the states.

In conclusion, 'Humans' benefits from its unconventional guerilla marketing to draw in audiences and build a small yet dedicated cult audience, as well as benefitting from an expansive availability from being on Netflix for UK and US consumers alike, as well as at release upon AMC, Channel 4, and STV. All of which at the end of the day is in service of maximising the show's growth, popularity, and therefore profit.

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