5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

The expansion of digital technologies and the tremendous success of streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video since the 2010s have profoundly reshaped both the production and distribution dynamics of serial fiction, as well as audience reception practices. The advent of digital technology has challenged the previously dominant position of the USA in TV series production and export. While American productions still dominate the global market for serial fiction, other creative regions such as Turkey or South Korea are increasingly asserting themselves as producers of internationally popular series. This trend has significantly increased the circulation of alternative modernities on a global scale. However, while the availability of foreign content on video-on-demand platforms enriches audiences' aesthetic and cultural experiences, the circulation of serial fiction on digital platforms tends to follow a commercial logic that can lead to a certain homogenization of content. Conversely, diversity often serves as a marketing strategy for these platforms, resulting in the creation of original content that highlights social groups and themes traditionally overlooked in the industry, such as elderly or racialized women. Lastly, the platformization of the audiovisual sector has greatly influenced audience reception practices, notably through binge-watching, and has enhanced viewer engagement with TV series. This session aims to explore issues concerning the production, representation and consumption of TV series in the era of platformization.