Abstract

Fan communities are increasingly important to television fiction series. The department of time television series (TVE) is examined in relation to this trend, with a focus on social networks. A sample of approximately 3,600 people calling themselves “ministerics” participated in the study. The analysis is carried out in the context of the convergence of media and transmedia, where the Net exerts particular influence on their program strategies and their contents, an it is focused to the production and promotion of audiovisual creations aimed at a general audience. This research is of special interest within the field of fan studies because it confirms the intensity and diversity of fans and shows the relevance that it has in national television, particularly in public television.

Abstract

Podcasts are an increasingly popular form of sound media that generate active listeners and fandom around them. These programmes present an opportunity for scholars to analyse not only new forms of consumption around convergent and on-demand media, but also the particular phenomenon of fandom related to audio productions in the current digital context. Scholars have mainly focused on studying how fandoms use podcasts to create content rather than on podcast fandoms. This paper analyses podcast fandoms in Europe, what distinguishes them from other active audiences, and how they engage with this digital media through online tools. To explore this, a method of triangulation is used, relying on content and netnography analysis, and both top-down and bottom-up strategies are considered across the biggest European markets. Results show that around a third of the podcasts in the sample have an active fandom that engages with these programmes through social media, primarily on Instagram, through the creation of content. This content usually highlights the brand identity of the podcasts through the creation of fan art and fan accounts, and that there are more consistencies across European fandoms than exist across European audiences. This suggests that social media sites, and particularly Instagram, are used by fandoms across Europe in an equivalent way to extend their textual productivity and that this is still what distinguishes audiences from fans. These findings have important implications for scholars and producers alike, both to build upon the knowledge of reception and fan studies and to understand how to encourage fandom engagement on social media sites.