National Difference and Transnational Assimilation

Abstract

A key reason why broadcasters use imports in their schedules is usually the perceived economic incentive (see Lealand 1984, Schlesinger 1986, Dupagne and Waterman 1998, Rixon 2006). Accounts focused on finance highlight that most imported television costs only a fraction of home-produced material, particularly in the area of fiction. What they cannot address is why particular programmes are chosen for import over others. As this chapter will argue, reasons for import decisions are complex and no single explanation can be given for why programmes are picked up for international distribution. Indeed, as the case studies of the spectacle of wealth and representations of the North of England examined below indicate, the same reason — difference — can be an attraction and a deterrent. It is therefore necessary to understand why programmes that are based on cultural difference are picked up by buyers, and how they are subsequently used and marketed by their secondary broadcasters.