How does new-media (the internet, cell-phone technology, etc) play a significant role in the success of reality TV, as well as cult TV series such as Buffy?
Reality TV is all about the market value. Whether watching any reality game show such as American Idol or even Big brother the viewers who vote ultimately have their say on who can be the winner. With this it is religiously viewed by audiences which subsequently generate more views and specifically more votes- the greater the views from people the more the value of the game show is on the market. As stated by Hill (2005) “Big brother was a hit. More than 3 million people watched the finale in the Netherlands, and voted by telephone for the winner. The fact that the format worked well with converging media, such as websites and telephones, only added to its strong economic performance in the television market place.” All in all this then only builds up more ‘cash’ reward for the winner because of the success of the game show. According to Hill (2005) “The size of the prize money is a clue as to the scale of the show…”
Hill, A. (2005) The rise of reality TV. In A. Hill, Reality TV: Audiences and Popular Factual Television. (pp. 15 – 40). Oxon: Routledge.
Yes the use of new media to vote is one way that it plays a role in Reality TV, but there are many other ways that could have been discussed - and why is voting online etc so popoular anyway?
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