Call for Articles Special Issue: 'European-Based VoDs: Models, Alternatives and Predictions for a Sustainable European Streaming Culture'

deadline for submissions: 
July 15, 2023
full name / name of organization: 
Journal of Digital Media & Policy
contact email: 

Call for Papers

Special Issue: 'European-Based VoDs: Models, Alternatives and Predictions for a Sustainable European Streaming Culture'

Journal of Digital Media & Policy  

Guest Editors 

Lucian Georgescu, UNATC Bucharest, lucian.georgescu@unatc.ro 

Constantin Parvulescu, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, constantin.parvulescu@ubbcluj.ro 

Deadlines  

Abstracts (400 words): 15 July 2023  

Full manuscripts (6–8000 words, including references): 15 November 2023 

The Call

Streaming technology and OTT (over-the-top) quality video content distribution are fundamental pillars of transnational cultural exchanges, impacting national media cultures, industries, content creators, and a variety of niche audiences. The role of culture and the creative industries are essential to asserting European values and to the European Union’s digital media distribution policies. Theoretically and empirically, this issue questions whether the current state of things and the development in the number, impact, and quality of European VoDs can contribute to consolidating a progressive European cultural identity, stimulating distribution and consumption, and generating comparable visibility for all EU national film cultures.   

This special issue focuses on OTT providers – TVoD, SVoD, FVoD, AVoD – whose catalogues include higher quality fiction, animation and documentary films, television drama and arthouse and experimental projects. It aims to explore innovative VoD business models, catalogue building, curation concepts, interface architectures and promotional strategies, in dialogue with related national and European media policies.

The journal calls for articles focusing on platform actions, content structure, distribution models or recent legislation that can positively impact the quality of the distributed content and viewing experiences, whilst stimulating innovative content creation practices, catalogue diversity, international coproduction, alternative fundraising and transnational viewership. The aim is to bring together contributions by scholars in communication, film, legal, economic and media technology studies, alongside perspectives from artists, content producers, policymakers and industry people. 

Possible topics include, but are not restricted to: 

  • EU VoDs as intercultural mediators, aggregators and producers of transnational content – models, trends, limitations and preferred genres;
  • possible national, regional and trans-regional cooperation models, and the policies that stimulate and obstruct them;
  • the state of the envisioned digital single market for European quality film and television;
  • competitive and self-defeating trends of EU-financed SVoDs;
  • the survival of FVoDs and the cultural acceptability of AVoDs distributing quality content;
  • the role that public service media platforms play in quality content distribution;
  • platform innovation from Europe’s digital peripheries;
  • filmmakers’ reactions to digital distribution, and the tailoring of content to satisfy VoD demands;
  • the perks of dubbing and subtitling;
  • patterns and privileged loci of digital transnational consumption;
  • critical press coverage of European SVoDs;
  • the envisioning of sustainable open-access/open-source models;
  • EU vs. national policies: conflicts and particularities of their national implementation;
  • critical evaluations of the EU Directive on Open Data, the Audiovisual Media Services Directive and the Council of Europe’s European Convention on Cross-Border Television. 

We will also consider shorter reports (2000–3000 words) from industry and policy experts and book reviews related to the above topics.

Submissions and queries should be directed to the guest editors.

 

General information on Calls for Papers

All articles submitted should be original work and must not be under consideration by other publications. Please review Intellect's Image and Table specifications here before submitting.

The Journal of Digital Media & Policy (formerly known as International Journal of Digital Television) aims to analyse and explain the socio-cultural, political, economic and technological questions surrounding digital media and address the policy issues facing regulators globally. Digitalization, together with the trends towards globalization, deregulation, technological convergence and the rise of the Internet, has enabled media industries, media services and companies to evolve. Online networks are exploring new business models for producing news and entertainment, thereby enhancing consumer choice. Digital media allow people to promote, create, distribute and share experiences with audiences online and create opportunities for innovation through, for example, the establishment of new revenue streams.

The journal brings together and shares the work of academics, policy-makers and practitioners, offering lessons from one another's experience. Content is to be broad and varied, evolving as the focus shifts from switching off analogue TV to the challenge of exploiting digital television's convergence with the internet and telecommunications.

National case studies and comparative studies are a feature, accumulating the evidence for authoritative global analysis of the economic, political and cultural factors accounting for common principles and national differences.

The journal covers digital television developments all around the world. Although the main focus of policy analysis so far has been on the pioneering countries, we welcome contributions from countries now beginning to consider introducing digital television.

The journal includes book reviews, a 'feedback and updates' section with comments or new information arising from articles in previous editions and a feature providing news of government or regulator initiatives, major new service launches and key appointments. Information about major international conferences and events is also welcome.

Potential contributors should make contact with the editor, Petros Iosifidis (p.iosifidis@city.ac.uk), as soon as possible, naming their topic or sending a short abstract.