Television device ecologies, prominence and datafication: the neglected importance of the set-top box

Abstract

A key element of the infrastructure of television now consists of various Internet-connected devices, which play an increasingly important role in the distribution, selection and recommendation of content to users. The aim of this article is to locate the emergence of streaming devices within a longer timeframe of television hardware devices and infrastructures, by focusing on the evolution of one crucial category of such devices, television set-top boxes (STBs). STBs are a taken-for-granted part of many people’s homes across the world, and their global presence and importance are still growing. However, they (and television hardware devices more generally) have been very rarely analysed in television and media studies. To address this lacuna, we trace the development of STBs, delineate changing patterns of ownership and control in STB markets and outline the diverse forms and functions of STBs. We then show how analysis of STBs enriches understanding of two key recent developments in television: increasing battles over prominence and discoverability in a newly abundant video landscape and the collection, analysis and exchange of viewer data by businesses. In doing so, the article shows the importance of television hardware in shaping television as a social and cultural institution.