The television distribution model nowadays has shifted distinctly from the old broadcast or cable linear distribution which requires time and space specificity to an entirely new model—the non-linear internet distribution (Lotz, 2017). Within the old linear distribution model, the economic value of the audience relies on the exclusivity and scarcity of linear distribution, and this kind of “linear television’s time constraints” significant grounds “the advertiser-reliant business model” (Lotz, 2017). In contrast to the exclusivity and scarcity situated in the centre of linear provision of services, the new non-linear internet-distributed content providers as “portals” and “libraries”(Lotz, 2017), appear to adapt distinctly different strategies, necessitating us to reimagine the shifts in industry logics.

According to Lotz’s theorisation of nonlinear distribution, the emerging subscriber model requires portals to cater to specific audiences, niche audiences in particular. The non-linear distribution model allows portals to produce and curate specialised content that “generate value over longer periods of time” (McDonald, 2016), instead of taking the significant risk of failing to satisfy the majority of the audience which may result in enormous financial losses under the logic of advertiser-reliant model in the era of broadcast and cable television.

Therefore, it may be argued that these changes in industry logic create additional opportunity for more “counter-stories” to emerge. Counter-storytelling is “a method of telling the stories of those people whose experiences are not often told”, including people of colour, women, gays, and the poor (Solórzano & Yosso, 2002). Given that the notion of sexuality as spectrum is widely acknowledged nowadays, we can extend the definition from “gays” to “queer community”, a more inclusive term. In light of the definition of counter-storytelling in literature studies, thus Internet-distributed television as portals and libraries (Lotz, 2017), offer both channels and venues for queer counter-stories to access not only the queer audience but also the majority audience, challenging their assumptions, jar their complacency, and invites them to action (Hughes-Hassel, 2014).

As Goddard and Hogg argued, the increasing appearance of LQBTQ characters and TV dramas such as Sense 8(2015-2018), Transparent(2014-2019), Pose (2018-), Euphoria (2019-), and Heartstopper (2022-) should be considered together as “Trans TV”, which operates “as an intervention into multiple contemporary transformations of television”, allowing for “a potentially more queer manifestation of television” (Goddard and Hogg, 2018). However, merely including more queer characters in television dramas and shows is simply not enough, as the narrative itself may still conform to the hegemonic models of heterosexuality and heteronormativity. It is how queer characters are represented that matters. I will continue the discussion in the next blog post.

References:

Hughes-Hassel, S. (2014) ‘as a Form of Counter-Storytelling’, 83(3), pp. 212–228.

Lotz, A. (2017) ‘“Theorizing the Nonlinear Distinction of Internet-Distributed Television”’, in Lotz, A. D. (ed.) Portals: a treatise on internet-distributed television. Ann Arbor, Mich.: Maize Books, an imprint of Michigan Publishing. Available at: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/maize/mpub9699689/.

Goddard, M. N. and Hogg, C. (2018) ‘Introduction: Trans TV as concept and intervention into contemporary television’, Critical Studies in Television: The International Journal of Television Studies, 13(4), pp. 470–474. Available at: https://doi-org.gold.idm.oclc.org/10.1177%2F1749602018798217.

Solórzano, Daniel G., and Tara J. Yosso. (2002). “Critical Race Methodology: Counter-Storytelling as an Analytical Framework for Education.” Qualitative Inquiry 8:23–44.

Ruiting Yang

11/28