TV: Industry contexts

 Q1:  The article suggests the traditional audience for foreign-language subtitled media would have typically been described as 'quietly declared pretentious, dull and, possibly, a little odd.'.

Q2:  He suggests that 'until the mid-Noughties, foreign language programming' was the equivalent the channels were 'restaurants who had put a special on the board'. However, 'Walter Presents makes the specials board the main offering – so you can't play safe with the televisual equivalent of a cottage pie.' Essentially, he suggests that his streaming service focuses on what has previously been seen as a very niche section of TV, and in a way makes it mainstream.

Q3:  The article suggests that in the multi-screen age, we're frequently distracted by notifications and messages that appear, while subtitles are 'a welcome enforcement for us to focus' as the viewer has to be extremely concentrated and engaged in order to not miss any of the subtitles.

Q4:  The article suggests 'the locale is such a fundamental part of their appeal', as 'we all love getting that insight into a different culture, the unfamiliar setting gives a freshness to genre pieces' as audiences are emerged in completely different cultures, and that seeing the setting, the local people, the houses, the costume, the accents and the language is a large appeal itself.

Q5: The show premiered on a US network before it was released on a German network.

Q6:  Germany's viewing figures began at 3.19 million during the pilot and then dropped to 1.63 million in the last episode, while Channel 4's figures peaked at 2.13 million viewers. 

Q7: SundanceTV and FreemantleMedia announced a second season of the show, to be titled Deutschland 86.

Q8: Walter Luzzolino posts a 'weekend pick' each week, and interacts with his twitter followers to expose them to more foreign media and presents it as more accessible to wider audiences.

Q9: Series content gives creatives the opportunity to tell longer, more fleshed-out stories and the budgets from streamers mean that they can do that without skimping on quality.