Abstract

Mobile communication systems are responsible for the significant changes that are taking place in cultural practices. The mobile phone has established itself as a portable, multi-use, interactive device that individuals use to enable them to manage important aspects of their work and leisure time. This article is based on research that aims to understand the phenomenon of mobile TV, the related trends (in terms of experiences, ideas, and models), and the type of user that operates this device. This article also analyses the values and perceptions of users as well as the benefits and drawbacks they encounter when using mobile TV. The study develops a mobile TV content test by using a viewing experience among 100 students from the universities of Malaga and Seville, in Spain. Structured questionnaires with closed questions are used with qualitative techniques that promote virtual discussion in forums that focuses on face-to-face groups. Altogether, the study has enabled the development of a theoretical model of the phenomenon of mobile TV, and has classified user preferences in terms of ergonomic technology, delivery dynamics, the economic value of services, and consumption patterns and scenarios. The main results focus on participants’ evaluations of mobile media narrative and the cross-platform experience.

Abstract

The consolidation of smartphones as dominant devices for access to digital information and entertainment has redefined the processes of production and commercialization of cultural communication industries. The nature of these screens, which prioritize the visual content over the sound, decisively influences distribution strategies in the audio market: radio operators, streaming music platforms and podcast creators need to adapt their value chains to the habits derived from this mediation, especially in the younger audience. This research identifies the practices of mobile use as an audio receiver among adolescents in Colombia, Spain and Mexico –the most representative countries of Spanish-speaking digital sound consumption– based on a descriptive study on a thousand subjects from 13 to 19 years of age. The results confirm the overwhelming dominance in this music menu in the face of low penetration of radio and podcast word content. The selection is based on personal criteria, with little margin for the prescription of family or friends. There is evidence of the roots of individual listening, linked to the brand and the visibility of audio providers, who are obliged to develop diffusion logics based not only on thematic or genre preferences, but also on the user experience.

Abstract

Audiovisual content has become a major leisure option in our society, and Internet has transformed its consumption patterns and market population. Identifying the websites that support this type of leisure activity is not a simple task. With data obtained from Alexa.com, it is possible to quantify the ecosystem of websites that provide links to audiovisual content in Spain.

Abstract

The distribution of electronic books is being transformed from the sale of individual titles to a subscription model, and many subscription services have been created in recent years. The main services are described and compared, detailing their advantages and disadvantages. More than the number of titles offered, their success depends on their ability to retai users, providing value-added services such as customization, recommendations, discovery, and opinion sharing.

Abstract

La introducción generalizada de Internet de banda ancha ha transformado la forma tradicional de ver series de TV y películas. Más allá de los servicios legales hay un ecosistema ampliamente establecido que permite el acceso no autorizado a material con copyright; un ecosistema que en España representa un canal paralelo de consumo de contenidos. Hemos analizado los sitios web de los principales proveedores de enlaces en España durante un año, a partir de la entrada en vigor el 1 de enero 2015 del Texto Refundido de la Ley de propiedad intelectual (Trlpi). Nuestro análisis revela cómo el ecosistema ha alterado el equilibrio de este ecosistema y finamente se ha reorganizado. Sin embargo, en contraste con el objetivo de las medidas propuestas por la Trlpi, la nueva legislación no ha conducido a una reducción en el tamaño del ecosistema de la piratería en España. AbstractThe widespread introduction of broadband Internet has transformed the traditional way of watching TV series and films. Beyond the legal services there is a widely established ecosystem that provides unauthorized access to copyrighted material; an ecosystem which, in Spain, represents a parallel channel on which to view content. We have analyzed the leading link provider websites in Spain over a period of one year, since enforcement on January 1, 2015 of the Revised Text of the Intellectual property act (Trlpi). Our analysis reveals how the ecosystem has been reorganized and its balance altered. However, in contrast to the objective of the measures proposed by the Trlpi, the new legislation has not led to a reduction in the size of the piracy ecosystem in Spain. 

Abstract

In this work, carried out at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Center for Management of Enterprise Media, Entertainment, and Sports (Memes), we suggest that there is hope and reason for media companies to expect a recovery from the current crisis. As journalists and researchers in communication, we are concerned about newspapers’ sustainability, and we refuse to consider a future scenario without the press. According to this objective we focus on the entertainment industry with the goal of learning from it how to survive and even grow despite freely available content on the Web. We consider the unstoppable growth in users and revenue experienced by Netflix, Amazon and iTunes, and pull from it lessons learned that might help newspapers to navigate the digital landscape. Our hypothesis is that digital newspapers can find new readers in the segment of digital consumers who already “pay” for digital content including streaming movies and television shows. Sales, subscriptions, and online rentals experienced significant growth in 2013, bringing them closer to the sales figures of hardware such as DVDs and blu-ray discs. And, although piracy is an issue in the entertainment industry, there remains room for revenue growth.

Abstract

This paper analyses how the streaming television platform Netflix creates a community in Twitter. Through a content analysis (N=1,048 tweets, n=100 tweets) we explore the characteristics of the messages with more answers, more likes and more retweets. Results allow to ascertain what the audience finds more relatable in a TV brand. Conclusions show that having a creative strategy, promote and inform about series, and using the social media language, like hashtags and visual resources, contribute to the follower’s participation. Asking questions looking for participations or using humour or intrigue also helps towards this objective.

Abstract

The core programming activity of the traditional television business has been strongly impacted by the disruptive alteration of the media ecosystem caused by over-the-top (OTT) platforms. Despite the new programmatic challenges that this suggests, such as conquering global audiences or defining engagement strategies appropriate to new consumer habits, OTTs share the needs of linear television that justified the development of television programming. The main objective of this work is to verify the validity of programming in the new context of nonlinear consumption and to determine the importance of the different factors that determine it. The premise is that programming is an enduring activity, regardless of the structural changes in the ecosystem. The factors that condition the activity linked to the development of the offering and, therefore, the function of the platforms as content providers continue in force. However, the impact of these factors varies depending on the different needs of the platforms in comparison with linear television. A hypothetical–deductive methodology is applied based on a literature review of factors related to television programming, followed by an exploratory and descriptive analysis of the main platforms operating in Spain. The results contribute to the generation of a conceptualization of programming as a fundamental activity in the streaming platform system.

Abstract

The emergence of new players and technological platforms, changes in consumer habits, and the transformation of the digital ecosystem accelerated the process of journalistic innovation in the last decade (2010-2020), emphasized by the Covid-19 pandemic. Journalism has undergone a process of permanent change, affecting practices, products, and professionals. In this context, this study identifies the most prominent journalistic innovations, describes their characteristics, and analyzes their impact in terms of the value provided in organization, their scope in the industry, and their contribution to society. To achieve this, semistructured interviews were conducted with a group of experts (n = 22) made up of academics and professionals. Once the innovations (n = 60) from a total of 253 references were coded and added up, the scope of these changes in the organizational, industrial, and societal  fields was analyzed to obtain a list of the 20 most relevant. The results indicate that innovation emerges incrementally in how journalism is produced, organized, distributed, and sustained. Some innovations have substantially influenced organization and society, such as the membership model or fact-checking; however, they are still far from being widely adopted in the industry. Data journalism has been catalogued as the most relevant journalistic innovation because it implies changes in production, generates quality journalism, and encourages its implementation by other representatives in the sector.