Netflix Nations: The Geography of Digital Distribution

Streaming services and internet distribution have transformed global television culture, with new global giants like Netflix emerging. Ramon Lobato's Netflix Nations explores the political and policy tensions at the heart of the digital distribution revolution, tracing their longer history through our evolving understanding of media globalization. The book addresses the clash between the internet's capacity for global distribution and the territorial nature of media trade, taste, and regulation, and explores the failures and frictions of video-on-demand as experienced by audiences.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 240 pages
\n Publication date: 08 January 2019
\n Publisher: New York University Press
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Television, once a medium of broadcast, has undergone a remarkable transformation due to the advent of streaming services and internet distribution. It has transcended its traditional boundaries and now finds its way into our homes through telephone lines, fiber optic cables, and wireless networks. The delivery of television content has become more accessible and convenient, with viewers able to access it through various apps, screens of varying sizes, and media players. In this ever-evolving landscape, new global giants of television distribution have emerged, such as Netflix, the world's largest subscription video-on-demand service.

Combining media industry analysis with cultural theory, Ramon Lobato delves into the political and policy tensions at the heart of the digital distribution revolution. He traces the longer history of these tensions through our evolving understanding of media globalization. In his book, Netflix Nations, Lobato explores the profound impact that subscription video-on-demand services, particularly Netflix, have had on the circulation of media content. He examines how a global video portal interacts with national audiences, markets, and institutions, shaping our understanding of global media in the internet age.

Netflix Nations addresses a fundamental tension in the digital media landscape: the clash between the internet's capacity for global distribution and the territorial nature of media trade, taste, and regulation. The book delves into the ways in which subscription video-on-demand services, and Netflix in particular, have disrupted traditional media distribution models and reshaped the way we consume and engage with media content. It sheds light on the challenges and failures experienced by audiences as they navigate the complexities of video-on-demand platforms.

The actual experience of using video platforms is full of subtle reminders of market boundaries and exclusions. Platforms are often geo-blocked, preventing users from accessing content from regions outside their own. Catalogs may vary significantly from country to country, with certain content being unavailable or unavailable in local languages. Prices may be displayed in different currencies, creating barriers to accessibility for some users. Subtitles and captions are not always available in local languages, further limiting the accessibility of media content.

These conditions offer valuable insights for researchers and scholars studying the dynamics of media distribution and consumption in the digital age. They highlight the complexities and challenges faced by audiences as they navigate the ever-evolving landscape of television and media consumption. They also shed light on the political and economic forces that shape the distribution of media content and the ways in which these forces interact with cultural norms and values.

In conclusion, the transformation of global television culture through streaming services and internet distribution has been nothing short of remarkable. It has brought about new global giants of television distribution, reshaped the way we consume and engage with media content, and raised important questions about the political and policy tensions at the heart of the digital distribution revolution. As we continue to navigate this evolving landscape, it is essential to understand the complexities and challenges faced by audiences and to work towards creating a more inclusive and accessible media ecosystem.

\n Weight: 398g\n
Dimension: 136 x 211 x 17 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781479841516\n \n