Audiences and their equipment and expectations have changed, too. Many have DVRs, streaming video, portable television, and certainly hi-def or plasma sets. Therefore, not only do they expect higher quality programming and effects, but network scheduling is now a moot point. Audiences can also engage in repeat viewings, watching and analyzing more attentively, which leads producers to create "increasingly sophisticated narrative worlds that sustain and reward intensive fan involvement on a variety of levels, a process particularly appropriate to the complex narrative worlds associated with SFTV series ranging from Star Trek to The X-Files to more recent shows such as Heroes and the remake of Battlestar Galactica (Telotte, 2008, 303).
Executives and media scholars believe the current state of television has reached a "tipping" point and the future of viewing and programming may evolve in a number of exciting, highly technological, and active audience involvement. From The Twilight Zone to the most recent SyFy offering, audiences are involved in the science fiction process -- it helps reimagining human's relationships with each other, television as a form of entertainment, and asks individuals to step away from the comfort zone into a world of the possible (Hall, 2007).
REFERENCES
Asimov, Isaac. (1952). "Definition of Science Fiction." In M. Wilson, "Definitions of Science Fiction." About.Com Guides, 2009, Cited...
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