J Networks discouraging dramas to be aired outside Asia?

It's a question because pariah_dog said in this topic: http://www.d-addicts.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12513&highlight=screw that Japanese TV channels have tried to discourage the release of their TV dramas outside of Asia. I was wondering why? Because it sounds really weird. Blink

If I was the president of a TV channel, I'd try to sell my programs to as many countries as possible to bring in extra money. I thought at first that the lack of Japanese dramas on western TV was due to the TV channels not thinking they could sell them, and to the western channels not being interested. I thought maybe the western tv channels were racist and didn't want series without white characters, or thought the audience wouldn't be interested because they wouldn't connect with the characters.
For music, I heard people say that Japanese record companies don't want to release music from their artists outside of Asia because of prices. Since Cd's are cheaper in the US (but here in France, Cd's are not that much cheaper compared to Japanese Cd's), reverse importing would occur massively. But they are already releasing overseas versions for other Asian countries, and they are near US prices, no? Is it because by being the 2nd music market in the world Japan is auto sufficient? But then the US is number one, yet they massively export not only material goods, but also cultural ones, contrarily to Japan. Quite a lot of Japanese know Jean Reno, no? Or Alain Delon. But here in France, the average person doesn't know Japanese actors. Also, I remember reading an article somewhere where it was written that the there were TV people who said "Japanese drama are for Japanese only" or something like that. So does anyone know the real reason? Maybe there is a reasonable economic answer, but then Japanese TV channels are selling quite a lot of animation (and some documentaries) to non Asian countries, so why would they want not to sell their dramas? Goggle eyes

Apparently there have been so french dramas sold to japan, if french dramas, which are mostly really yucky in my opinion, can get sold there, why isn't the reverse true?

Hope this doesn't sound like a stupid post. Blink

But this has been bugging me for awhile. Sad

Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 6:37 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Nono... the hangup is on the receiving end. Most countries discourage the licensing of media produced extra-territorially for economic reasons. What I mean is, the European Commonwealth encorages media production in it's member countries and discourages the importation of licensed material. The apparent exception in the case of crappy U.S. TV shows is simply the result of overwhelming market demand, and steep local tarriffs are applied.

Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 6:56 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 4:57 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

the recent unesco cultural-protectionism bill that was passed will only make it harder (or more expensive) to get your imports (dvd box sets etc) and localizations. those bastards

btw the US is the only major country who opposed the bill, rock on US.

Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:52 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

that's because the US is the country europe wants to protect itself from. hollywood is the biggest exporter of movies and tv in the world and many people feel that american culture makes then dumber. the french have a strict quota system on the amount of american media the french are exposed to because chirac is afraid of "further debasement" by American entertainment. he feels that french high culture is being "sterilized." thank america for unesco passing a cultural-protectionism bill.

Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 12:06 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

^ that's like telling the rape victim that she was asking for it.

hollywood is the biggest exporter because somebody like you or me who wants to see the OC or 24 or whatever is paying for all those imports. now will the bill ratified those people will have to circumvent trade barriers through parallel importing or paying more via the black market or something to get their fix. who benefits? protected industries that make second-rate stuff laughing all the way to the bank while consumers like you and me get screwed.

Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 4:23 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

America is a rape victim? I don't think this analogy works smoothly. First of all, it's under the assumption that capitalism always works in the best interest of the people. The limiting of American movies is more closer to the banning of fast food (which has not been successful in any country yet). (An even more extreme analogy would be to coompare American films to cocaine. Wouldn't you think it's fair to ban cocaine? But lets stick to fast food for now...) Can you argue 100% that fast food has made our lives better? Many can argue that fast food has lowered our standard of living. What with bad diets, disruption of the families, destruction of local culture and cityscape. The alternative to fast food, home made cooking or sit-down restaurants (slow foods), may not be as convenient but usually tastes better and is a better balanced diet. Protecting slow foods could be in the best interests of the people. Thus, protecting domestic (European in this case) films may be a protection of high culture (such as in the case of French art films). Capitalism can completely destroy small filmmakers' opportunities to success. Protection is often times justified in this case.

Besides, it's not like some authoritarian government just imposed a law banning outside films. A representative government chose. In a sense, this is the people putting a stopper on themselves. America can put a sock in it because they're making enough money already. Asian films are getting attention now too and people are going to continue to pay to watch them anyway. People in European countries now will be seeing more promotion of their own films, another positive effect.

There are so many examples when governments have to come in to protect the best interests of the people (always with the consent with of the people, of course). Your argument denies the postive aspects of government subsidies of museums, schools, scientific research, etc.

Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 5:00 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 10:43 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Individualist extremist, are you, Busonissa? The problem is: free trade is not the magic solution to everything that you think it is. You are taking a classic standpoint when you claim that everything will be perfect if left to its own devices. The problem is that it doesn't always work out this way. You made this statement:

Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2006 3:42 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Bussonlssa, I can't believe that there still exist people who think in such extremity. I feel like your arguments came straight out of a classical economist. Even my high school economics textbooks would argue with you that capitalism does not always provide people with the goods they want that's why government intervention is necessary, especially in global trade.

Would you say that high taxes on tobacco is bad? Would you say that prostitution should be relegalized? Drugs should be place on the free market again? We should stop having medicare and social security. Police and fire fighting services? Let the people handle that, let's privitize everything. Museums, libraries, schools? Lets stop government funding for those, if people really wanted them, they'd thrive. There are some things that cannot be decided by money and those are morals, culture, and identity. Just because some people are willing to pay to keep these businesses alive does not mean they should be allowed to do whatever they want. These businesses trample over smaller businesses (those that can have culture and heritage), will turn the entire world one color and create one global race with one culture (or no culture at all but the culture of money). But perhaps that's what you want....

Then lets talk in economics. Small businesses who can't succeed don't deserve to succeed? What are you talking about? People with great ideas and potential get their ideas turned down because of their bosses' fear of competing with American movies. You are a proponent of a market that doesn't even freely let people in and out of the market. It's kind of like a monopolistic market. European films don't nearly have as close a budget as Hollywood production companies and that hinders them from realizing great ideas as well. Clearly, when different companies who have been playing in different playing fields compete, one may have a significant advantage. Perhaps this argument resonates better with you.

These are just two of the simplest of the concepts you can read about on the negative aspects of rapid globalization in elementary high school economics textbooks. I should say you should think about these things to soften your extreme liberal economics views.

Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2006 1:33 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

You're entitled to your opinion on the value of american cultural exports vis-a-vis european or asian material but I think it would be terribly selfish and terribly shortsighted of you to impose that opinion on the capacities of millions to make that judgement for themselves. 'Cultural' protectionism does just that by restricting the choices available to consumers to choose from.

You may think this is all well and good when its just american productions but It is not hard to imagine a day when a parliamentarian whose campaign was funded by domestic film conglomerates raises a motion to slap quotas and taxes on 'Korean Wave' drama imports, and suddenly you 1) can't afford to buy the latest drama series or 2) the latest drama series never got imported at all because the importer couldn't get the license or 3) you pay off a 'friend of a friend of a friend who has a friend in customs' to get you a set, plus 'shipping expenses'. Suddenly cultural protectionism sucks, doesn't it? But by then it's too damn late for your good intentions to get wise.

Oh you weep for the starting filmmaker, the poor cultured artist who has such great ideas that nobody seems to appreciate, but no opportunities because big bad media industries from America use their monopoly powers. And so you slap on the regulations and the taxes and now the poor artist, instead of taking his pitch to the studios and VCs, now goes to the bureaucrats to get his grant. And you wonder why the arts has not improved but has taken a more nationalistic and patriotic tone. You gnash your teeth in fury at how the world never seems to work out, at how selfish and greedy people are, and maybe, just maybe, you realize that you were wrong. But by then it's too damn late.

Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2006 4:58 pm Post subject: Post Rating: 0

Your blind faith in the pure capitalist system amazes me. The whole world has already recognized that pure capitalism doesn't work in all fields. This is just common sense.

Where would the renaissance have been without the church and the government pouring money into these works. Where would science be going without governments forcing them to research green materials and methods for lower emissions? Are you confident that there would be social security, medicare, police forces, schools for everyone, if there was no government enforcing these things? Do you realize just how many businesses are being kept alive thanks to government subsidies? Would you say that we should just let capitalism do its work and let these businesses die out because they are inferior? Whether something makes money does not define its value. There are things more important than money as I have stated numerous tiimes before and if you can't see that I'm just going to stop arguing here.

Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 3:04 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0

I don't really know..but profits isn't everything. If Japan markets to the world, then that mean that Japan would have to make products fit to the taste of ppl, and that would probably change J-drama in a huge way. Right now, from what I see, J-drama are on the positive side, which is why I love them. Do u want Japanese producers to think "hey, we need to make sleezy material so that Americans will like it"? "Let's make drama more around ppl in their 20s screwing around cuz Americans don't like family dramas", etc.

Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 6:50 am Post subject: Post Rating: 0