Being a film studies major I couldn’t help but research the state of film and television in Europe and how it is affected by the American film and television industry. In a previous post I discussed the issue of European identity and how Europe’s history of war, genocide, and immigration between countries makes it difficult for each country to maintain a strong sense of traditional nationalism. I concluded that the while the answer to maintaining a modern sense of nationalism through the creation of the European Union is a hopeful stab at maintaining unity between nations that have been divided by wars and regimes and whose demographics have changed immensely due to immigration—that ultimately Europe must face its dark history and move beyond its prejudices towards immigrants and changing borders in order to truly move forward. This issue can also be applied, on a smaller level, in terms of the state of European media and how it must change to stay a viable business in Europe.
The face of Europe is changing, and it is only appropriate that the face of European television change with it. According to Rana Dogar’s Newsweek article For decades, Americans sold TV programs and Europeans bought them. Now
Europe's making its own shows--and audiences are thrilled.; Changing Channels;
[Atlantic Edition], she makes the comment: “when people watch TV they want to see themselves.” This can directly be applied to the changing face of the European population and its media preferences. Europe has a growing population of minorities ranging from Asians, Indians, Middle Easterners, and south-eastern Europeans -- this multi-cultural group cannot be expected to strictly value the outdated homogenous nationalistic values generally present in public service broadcasting. Likewise, if Europe wants to hold its own against the dominating American film and television industries, it must create transnational programming that can transcend borders. It could be argued that increased transnational television programming is simply a form of commercialization that will yield low-brow programming aimed to please the uneducated masses. However, it is clear that an increase in transnational marketing by European television companies is yielding both high quality and more mainstream programming. It is this adaptation that has allowed European media companies to continue to compete against the dominant American companies.
It is important to first discredit the claim that transnational European programming is only capable of producing low quality television or that transnational European programming will be the end of public service broadcasting quality television. “The Count of Monte Cristo” is a prime example of how transnational television can retain the qualities of a public service broadcast program. In case you aren’t familiar with it here is a clip from the film that features the male and female leads and also gives you a sense of the look, style, and high caliber acting within this public service broadcast mini series.
Its male lead is Frenchman Gerard Depardieu and its female lead is an Italian woman named Ornella Muti. Sticking to the tradition of European television programming it is long, has a high production value, and is a period piece that idealizes Europe in its aesthetics. Nonetheless, this mini-series was a hit in France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Russia; and it will soon be on cable in America. This mini-series was a success because deregulation is allowing companies to partner in order to create Pan-European production and distribution networks. This allows programs to maintain the qualities of public service broadcast programs that some of the audience still demands while integrating an international cast and crew to please a multicultural audience over multiple countries and even continents.
Another way in which the idea of a transnational European media system works to benefit European transnational programming is through “glocalization,” or globilization at the local level. In Jean Chalaby’s article Transnational Television in Europe-- The Role of Pan-European Channels, she argues that “, localization facilitates the process of globalization because it allows transnational media players to overcome cultural diversity and operate efficiently in a multinational environment.” Examples of this include the copying of “MTV,” the increase of local advertising, an increase in subtitles and dubbing of popular foreign programs, and local programming on networks like “CNN” and “CNBC.” These efforts allow European television to transcend the generally dominant force of American television by increasing ratings through reaching out to audiences on a local level. While these transnational programs may not maintain the nationalistic values of individual countries, most can be argued to maintain the values of modern Europe as a whole. In this way, nationalistic values can be maintained in a new way: an integrated way that is a reflection of the lives of modern Europeans.
While the “protectionist” or the traditional pro Public Broadcasting Service view is a noble one that struggles to maintain the national cultural values and identities of individual countries in the face of an ever-changing Europe, this is no longer feasible. Some qualities of this type of programming will continue to be used, however a multicultural influence must be present in order to reach out to a larger European audience. Europeans are proving that they can hold their own against American programming, whether it be through high-quality public service broadcasting type programming with a multicultural appeal or more modern transnational programming. Europeans are proving that they are capable of creating both while maintaining an overarching transnational appeal.
I feel that film and television have very strong influences on culture and are a way to maintain a sense of unity in a transnational environment. Media in general has a way of transcending borders and uniting people on a more basic level. While one must accept the fact that Europe will continue to struggle with its dark history and prejudices for quite some time, I feel that film and television will be the one of the means by which to unite Europe as a whole—by uniting them over shared common interests in media—and emphasizing that while Europeans may be separated by borders and cultural differences they can still agree on the pleasure and common themes of popular culture.
The perfect example of transnational programming is the television show Eurovision in which nations send their most popular musical talent to compete against other European nations for the title of Eurovision Winner. This show is a hit across Europe and features act from all over Europe. Here is a clip of the latest winner from Germany:
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