Quote:
Originally Posted by wave46
It is interesting to see the evolution of media in the 21st century.
I'm speaking purely from an English-speaking vantage here, so I'd like alternate perspectives - I'm not sure if this has happened with other cultures too, or if languages have provided an insulation against this.
Prior to the internet streaming era, one's media content was limited to what was locally available. Thus, the rise of major media conglomerates with broadcast networks that effectively controlled the narrative. So, in Canada you had CBC, CTV and the smattering of US networks.
Cable/satellite somewhat upended it. The fragmentation based on genre started, starting with MTV/CNN and the first generation of specialty channels. But, at the end of the day, the narrative was still controlled by major media corporations.
Now, one can fine-tune one's interests to whatever one wants, thanks to the internet. I can watch car shows on Youtube from Australia. Netflix provides access to shows from around the world.
The things that used to be definitive of a linked English Canadian culture are fading - the Tragically Hip, Corner Gas (fine, there is the animated show), etc. etc. - are footnotes. In a world where one can basically have any fine-tuned content they want, the shared experience thing falls apart. The last show I could discuss with someone outside of my age demographic might have been Game of Thrones. I'm also not saying this is unique to English Canadian culture - the 'shared experience' is falling apart in most of the Anglosphere simply due to its vastness - one can have whatever they want.
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For all the talk of the language barrier isolating us (and other non-anglophone nations as well), Netflix and other online streaming services are having an impact here in Quebec and in continental Europe as well.
Domestic TV people from most any country in fact will tell you that their ratings are taking a hit because of competition from Netflix et al.
Ratings for even the most popular Quebec TV shows are generally down across the board from what they were for the biggest hits a few years ago.
They're still relatively healthy though. Just last week was the season premiere of District 31 which is a daily half-hour cop show aired on the French CBC. In the weeks leading up to the premiere the chatter and anticipation on my social media, at the office and on the radio was similar to the lead-up to the final season of Game of Thrones. The show draws about 1.5 million viewers daily with occasional peaks around 2 million.
All of this is why taxing Netflix and the others (with the money going to Quebec or Canadian production funding), while a political non-starter in the ROC, is a political issue in Quebec that refuses to die. It's part of what led to the downfall of Mélanie Joly as Heritage Minister (she bungled the file). People in Quebec do want access to Netflix, but they also value having a dynamic homegrown TV and film industry that produces the kind of stuff they like to watch. They don't want Netflix to kill that, whereas in the ROC the general sentiment is that there isn't much left to kill.