Ready-made TV shows and the role of acquisitions: Investigating some mediations of the Italian and global television industry

Abstract

The acquisition phase has progressively gained a crucial relevance in contemporary television industries. Building on an original research in the field of media production studies, with in-depth interviews of Italian professionals and longitudinal comparisons across the last decade, this article traces the role of acquisitions in the global distribution and national circulation of TV content and synthetizes recent developments in production routines and professional cultures. The goal is to explore this understudied sector, its practitioners and best practices, as well as to highlight the impact of digital TV multichannel and supra-national over-the-top (OTT) players, which have changed these dynamics further.