ABSTRACT
Growth of the international format trade is closely linked to the emergence of new genres, which fall under the broad umbrella of reality TV. Reality TV programs entail hybridized elements from different program categories such as the documentary, soap opera, game show and talk show. They are rooted in the development of tabloid-style documentaries, which fi rst appeared in the late 1980s with programs like America’s Most Wanted (Hefl in & Klein, 1988), Cops (Langley & Barbour, 1989) and Crimewatch (Gay, 1984). Yet, the appearance of docu-soaps and game-docs marks a fundamental shift from programming that represents the socio-historical world through a lens of investigative journalism, to ‘documentaries of diversion’ and ‘display’ (Corner, 2002), which are produced solely for commercial and entertainment purposes. This departure from documentary traditions is linked to the development of more sensationalist programs in an increasingly competitive broadcasting environment. Also, new technologies such as light-weight camera equipment, web cams and interactive web sites contribute to the changing media landscape in which audiences not only become more media savvy, but also engage more actively with programs-in addition to producing and distributing their own content across digital platforms.
