Having worked in digital media for television since 1999, I have taken a keen interest in watching how the perception of digital technology as a threat to traditional media, particularly by large media conglomerates, has evolved. The reactions of the film and recording industries have received the most attention, but there has also been a backlash against sharing technologies and practices within the broadcast television industry as well. Networks have spoken out against fans posting even short clips of copyrighted content on fansites, YouTube, and have been active in forcing takedowns of such clips and fansites.
I would love to research the effect these efforts have had on the fans’ relationship to the brand and its franchises. How, exactly, do these networks think these types of activities will affect their revenues, and have those fears been borne out? Is the fan’s affinity with the brand or franchise adversely affected by the activities of the network? How is the fan community at large affected by the network’s activities, and what effect does that, in turn, have on the brand? What are some potential solutions that would satisfy both the brands and the networks?
This is a very broad outline of an area that interests me, and I have no idea what, if any, research has been done in this area already. However, it’s something that I see and/or deal with on a daily basis, and the results would be, I’m sure, not only of interest to me, but to the networks, the fans, and the community of media scholars.
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