AMCTelevision has undergone something of a revolution in recent years. Long gone are the days when people crowded around a miniscule set to watch scheduled programming on just a handful of channels, replaced by the ability to watch programmes about seemingly anything, at any time and on any device with a screen, from mobile phones that fit into a pocket to gargantuan monstrosities that take up an entire wall. Once viewed as inferior to film, the medium has evolved to the point where elements of its output are now considered superior to big-screen offerings. The film industry is hardly struggling as a result, however, and the fact that both mediums (alongside others such as video games) are continuing to grow and thrive makes it an exciting time to be a fan of screen-based entertainment. The focus of this piece is specifically television, however, over the next few pages we'll analyse how the medium has diversified and innovated, and why it is better than ever as a result.
8. Exposure Of International Programming
AMCThough elements of British and American programming are popular across the world, most shows go unnoticed by audiences outside of their home country, largely due to language and cultural barriers. As a result of this, many countries have a domestic television industry that is appreciated solely by its inhabitants and its inhabitants only. This has begun to change in recent years, however, as the merit and quality of selected foreign-language (non-English) dramas have become recognised by audiences in both the USA/UK and across the rest of the world, aided by exposure on channels such as BBC4. As a result of this, fans of such shows have been keen to find others, enhancing their popularity as they seek out the next foreign phenomenon. They'll always be people who refuse to watch foreign programming (even with subtitles) purely because it isn't in English, but such individuals will forever miss out on Danish greats such as Borgen (a political drama), The Killing (a neo-noir crime drama) and The Bridge (an international crime drama made in collaboration with the Swedish), as well as other assorted shows from around the world (from the gritty original Israeli version of Homeland to French crime/legal thriller Spiral) that have made an impact on the contemporary television landscape and are well worth checking out.