RuPaul’s Drag Race

The Trans TV conference at the University of Westminster in 2017 was all about connecting the dots between industry talk and digging into how shows look and feel. It asked a big question: Can the changing TV landscape not only let artists run wild but also bring way more diversity to our screens?

Digital revolution and the rise of Internet-Distributed, SVOD (Subscription Video On Demand) Platforms has caused TV to go through a wild new makeover. Scholars like Michael Goddard and Christopher Hoggare are buzzing about how this is flipping the script on how we used to think about making, sharing, and watching TV.

Queer Eye

Enter the era of ‘Trans TV,'(Goddard;Hoggare;2018) where the very idea of television is up for grabs. Forget the old one-to-many vibe – now we’re in a digital playground where terms like ‘channels,’ ‘audiences,’ and ‘schedules'(Goddard;Hoggare;2018) are getting a serious makeover, if they even matter anymore. And guess what? The way the industry is changing is tightly wrapped up with how our favourite shows look and feel.

Trans TV is all about saying, “Hey, tech changes and how our shows look are like BFFs – they go hand in hand.” It’s not just about cool TV tech; it’s about how we see and feel stories. Digital delivery systems are flipping the script on old-school TV, making room for a more wide-open kind of television.

By Joseph Sofocleous

References:

Introduction: Trans TV as concept and intervention into contemporary television in Critical Studies in Television: The International Journal of Television Studies Article by Michael N Goddard; Christopher ; Volume 13, Issue 4, December 2018, Pages 470-474