Hollywood studios placing greater emphasis on “specific” audiences
The Wall Street Journal reports that Hollywood is increasingly looking to “direct-to-DVD” as a distribution channel for films. Warner Bros, in particular, is making a “new push”, the paper says. “Even though DVD growth is slowing, low-budget and well-marketed made-for-DVD films targeted at specific audiences are enjoying pockets of success.” The “specific audiences” audiences bit is significant. In the old days, “specific audiences” worried the men in suits - they needed mass audiences. “Specific audiences” were the sort of thing TV companies catered for because of their public service obligations.
Years ago, people would be prepared to switch on the TV, look through the four channels being broadcast and find something to watch. These days, many people want to watch programmes at a time they choose. I don’t want to watch BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing. Others like it. The VCR set off a process, but it’s really taken off in the last few years aided by £5 DVDs, hard disc recorders and the internet. Fortunately, thanks to capitalism and technological progress, I can watch programmes I really want to watch - not what programme controllers think the average person wants.
When digital television was first on the scene, I did a debate on BBC Choice (a now-defunct BBC channel) against an academic who was worried that all this choice will stop us being cohesive. But it seems to me that despite the explosion in television choices, there are also truly great films that most of us watch or have some idea about. I normally go and see the Harry Potter films in the cinema, for example. James Bond has a similar effect. These will continue to involve high budgets. Choice improves the relevance of programming to our interests - without stopping us participate in a conversation about Hermione Granger.