Distance and Global Television Engagement: An analysis of Dutch nationals’ engagement with foreign Netflix original series

Over the years Netflix has been producing original series. The company has branched out to creating international films and series with local creative producers around the world, which has led to some of the most popular shows this company has produced. This thesis explores how young Dutch nationals engage with global television as represented by Netflix. Foreignproduced Netflix original series are used to investigate global television engagement, which are shows that are produced outside the Netherlands and America, and that are in the country’s national language. Six series from within Europe and outside Europe are used, Dark, 3%, La Casa de Papel, Narcos, Ragnarök, and Lupin were the selected series based on the international and local (Dutch) popularity of the series. Audience engagement is investigated through concepts of thematic and cultural proximity as proposed by Straubhaar (2007), as well as the uses and gratifications theory which serves as a basis for understanding the initial and continuation of engagement from audiences. Data was collected through twelve qualitative semistructured online interviews, with eight females and four males who all identify and hold a Dutch nationality and have watched three of the six selected series. The data was analyzed through thematic analysis where the transcripts from the interviews were open coded then formed into axial codes, which then formulated three main themes: Motivations and expectations, cultural engagement, and story and character engagement. The results suggest that audiences are motivated by cultural distance to engage with the series due to the willingness and desire to explore other cultures and languages with entertainment. The participants were engaged with the culture represented in the series, as they enjoyed the differences, learning new aspects, and curiosity about country productions were a large factor in engagement. Moreover, participants who were familiar with cultural aspects enjoyed the small details as it brought back fond memories or nostalgia; however, participants who were unfamiliar either did not notice the cultural cues or enjoyed learning new aspects. Culture, however, was not their focus while watching the series. The focus was the plot and characters, how complex, authentic, and enticing they were, disregarding how relevant and similar it was to their lifeworld and experiences. Audiences enjoyed distance from themselves culturally and thematically.