Georgia Lay

Television production takes place within an economic context. Discuss the influence of
economic factors on The Returned. (15 marks)

‘The Returned’ is a French television show aired by Canal+. The programme focuses on a town where those who were
dead are coming back to life. Many economic factors are relevant for the production and distribution of ‘The
Returned’. Firstly, the ownership of the show and where the show is being broadcasted. This will impact the audience
size, and therefore the profit and success of the show. Moreover, an important factor is the sources of funding and how
much is being invested in the programme. This impacts the quality of the show and how much money needs to be
made in order to make a profit. Thirdly, the importance of co-productions is also a significant economic factor as it
impacts the distribution of the show and therefore the size of the audience.

In the television industry, there is multiple ways a show/company can be owned and funded. For example, the BBC is
a public service broadcaster and is publicly funded through the TV license. Whilst Channel 4 is also a public service
broadcaster it is largely commercially self-funded but is ultimately publicly owned. These two examples show a small
glimpse into the variation in ownership in the television industry. ‘The Returned’ was broadcasted on Canal+ which is
a French premium cable channel and was founded in 1984. Canal+ is owned by Vivendi, a French multi-media
conglomerate. Canal+ applies to Hesmondhalgh’s cultural industries theory through horizontal integration. When TPS
became a competitor for the channel, Canal+ decided to purchase them, re-establishing their control over this part of
the sector. As Canal+ is a cable channel, it is funded through customers who pay for the shows and media it produces.
This creates an expectation for ‘The Returned’ for quality, content and interest. There are many ways in which this
expectation was met. Firstly, the show had a €11 million budget, which equates to €1.38 million per episode. This
high budget allows the show to access high quality costumes, sets, locations, etc. The show was also equipped with
English subtitles making it easier to distribute internationally which expanded the show and therefore the audience and
profit. This may further increase the attraction around French Poetic Realism (a key aspect of the show) and create a
new market and audience to supply for. Overall, the ownership of a television show is important as it creates
expectations which need to be met in order to maintain an audience, ‘The Returned’ does this through the high budget
and international distribution.

Furthermore, a key aspect of the television industry is funding and where it comes from. If a channel is not funded by
the government; for example, the BBC; then often it is funded through advertising on the channel. Channel 4 is an
example of a channel that uses the ‘Robin Hood’ model, this means all profit goes back into the channel and the
products it produces. Despite this, the production of new programmes may need additional funding. When new shows
needed funding potential investors will look at risk aversion and how likely it is that the show will have success. This
is something that will be debated before a grant or investment is made. Creative Europe Media (CEM) is a programme
for cultural and creative sectors. The different funding schemes they run are designed to reach new audiences and
develop creative skills. Creative Europe Media offered ‘The Returned’ a grant and overall the show had an €11
million budget. This high budget allowed the producers to spend more money on locations, cast, costumes, special
effects, etc. This raised the quality of the show which would have increased the audience. Moreover, the high budget
also allowed more money for scenes such as the bus crash scene. This would have benefitted the producers during the
international distribution and through the funding would have improved the capacity for export which is one of
CEM’s key aims. As ‘The Returned’ is mostly French Poetic Realism it may have not appealed to an American
audience as television shows and films in America often consist of action genres. However, with the added action
scenes international audience members are more likely to become intrigued with the show and watch further episodes
and seasons. This is evident in the American remake of ‘Les Revenants’, showing that the American audience enjoyed
the supernatural concept and show. International remakes are also a key element in Hesmondhalgh’s cultural
industries theory as it helps to increase the popularity of the show and looks at continuing the branding in other
cultures. Overall, the funding from Creative Europe Media allowed ‘The Returned’ to be a higher quality show which
therefore expanded the audience and profit.

In addition, the use of co-productions is also an important economic factor. Co-productions are a joint venture
between two companies and is also important in international distribution. ‘The Returned’ was distributed to the UK
channel More4 and American channel Sundance TV. There are many benefits to international co-productions. For
example, access to the partner’s market which increases your audience. Secondly, having control over that show in
your country and the ability to distribute it. Thirdly, access to a project initiated by your partner. These benefits
ultimately increase the company’s audience and profit and show that co-productions are becoming increasingly more
important in today’s industry. International distribution is also important as it advertises the country the show was
Georgia Lay
filmed in to different countries. For example, ‘The Returned’ was filmed in Haute-Savoie and many scenes were
filmed in the capital city of Annecy. Due to the French Poetic Realism genre there are many establishing shots in the
show, advertising the mountain landscapes and lakes. Through the international distribution these areas of France are
being advertised to the US and UK. This produces tourist locations and increases attraction, and therefore money for
the country. However, international distribution through co-productions does have some limitations as shown through
Livingstone and Lunt’s regulation theory. As ‘The Returned’ is being distributed internationally there may be some
regulation issues due to culture. For example, the first episode features a sex scene which may be given a lower age
rating in France than other countries due to what is normalised in the culture. This results in shows needing to be re-
evaluated and marketing may need to be changed to target a different age range or audience. Overall, co-productions
are important to distribute the show internationally and increase the audience. They also advertise the country to
international watchers, creating tourist locations if the show is successful and therefore, attraction for that country.
However, can cause some issues with regulation and marketing.

To conclude, the economics of a show are one of the most important factors when releasing and producing a new
television show. There are many elements that impact the profit and budget of a show. The ownership of a show
impacts where the show is broadcasted and the expectations for the quality of the show. It also impacts how much can
be spent on the producing and marketing of the show. Furthermore, another key aspect is funding and investors.
Finding companies to invest in the show can depend on your chances of risk aversion and if your show is expected to
have guaranteed success. Thirdly, the use of co-productions also impacts the economics of a show and where the show
is going to be distributed. Overall, the economics of a show are impacted by many elements, most of which
surrounding distribution, investors and ownership.