Audience Genre Expectations in the Age of Digital Media

This volume bridges the divide between film and media studies scholarship by exploring audience expectations of film and TV genre in the age of digital streaming, using qualitative thematic and quantitative data-driven analyses. Through four ground-breaking surveys of audience members and content creators, the authors have empirically determined what audiences expect of various genres, the extent to which these definitions match those of scholars and critics, and the overall variation and complexity of audience expectations in the age of media abundance. They also examine audience habits and preferences, drawing from both theory and original empirical analyses, with a view toward the implications for the moving image in a rapidly changing media environment. The book draws from the data to develop a number of new concepts, including genre repertoire, genre hybridity, audience interest maximization, and variety seeking, and a new stage of genre development, genre bending. It is an ideal resource for students and scholars interested in the symbiotic relationship between audiences and the moving image products they consume, as well as the way the current digital media environment has impacted our understanding of film and TV genres.

1. Introduction 2. Audience Expectations for Film and Television Genres 3. Audience Viewing of the Moving Image—Film and Television Genres 4. A Profile of Creators of the Moving Images as Audience Roles Evolve 5. Audiences Coping with an Era of Content Abundance: Novelty Seeking and Interest Maximization 6. The New Viewing Environment—Matching Genres with Screens 7. Developing Content Theory for Moving Images 8. Responding to the Pandemic in a Streaming Environment 9. Final Thoughts

Leo W. Jeffres is a Professor Emeritus of Communication at Cleveland State University. His research interests include audience analysis, communication technologies, media effects, and urban communication. He has authored four books, including Mass Media Processes, Mass Media Effects, and Urban Communication Systems: Neighborhoods and the Search for Community. He has authored dozens of refereed journal articles, book chapters, and papers over the past 45 years. He was a Fulbright scholar and Peace Corps Volunteer. David J. Atkin is a Professor of Communication at the University of Connecticut. His research interests include the diffusion of emerging media and program formats, political communication, and media policy. He has coauthored several books, including The Televiewing Audience (both editions), Communication Technology and Society, and Communication Technology & Society. The author of more than 175 articles, Atkin is Associate Editor at JMCQ and does grant-supported work on adoption and uses of digital media. Kimberly A. Neuendorf is a Professor Emeritus of Communication at Cleveland State University. The second edition of her methods textbook, The Content Analysis Guidebook, was published in 2017. Her research has examined both the content and the effects of media, with emphases on marginalized populations and new technologies. She is an author of over 100 articles and chapters. Neuendorf has been engaged as an expert witness on the methods of content analysis in multiple litigation actions.