WJEC/Eduqas GCSE Media Studies: Revision Guide

Industry and Audience in Friends The production and distribution of Friends Why do you think that Friends is popular with millennials, even though the series ended in 2004? Quickfire Revision 5.36 1 Demonstrate your understanding of the set product by writing a short paragraph about each correct point in the quiz above, giving an example and explaining why it is important. 2 Aim to draw conclusions from your findings, for example ‘ Friends had a wide audience reach and was very popular with audiences in the UK.’ Audiences and Friends • Friends was an extremely popular and culturally significant series. • The sitcom continues to attract audiences on Netflix and re-runs are still broadcast on the cable and satellite channel, Comedy Central. • Middle-aged audiences might have grown up with the characters in Friends and now have nostalgia for the programme. Have a Go 5.20 Friends : Industry and audience Reminder True or false? If the answer is false, give the correct response. Statement True/ False Correct answer 1 Friends was produced by Warner Brothers Television for NBC in America. 2 The pilot of Friends was a stand-alone episode entitled ‘The One Before Rachel Got Married’ and was broadcast before the first series . 3 Friends was first broadcast in the UK in April 1995 and the final episode in 2004 achieved viewing figures of 8.6 million . 4 All ten seasons of Friends were shown first on Channel 4 in the UK. 5 The first episode of Friends was awarded a 12 certificate by the BBFC when released on DVD. 6 Friends did not have a very wide global release. Quickfire Revision 5.35 A YouGov poll from 2018 found that 98 per cent of British people in the survey had heard of Friends. It was significantly more popular with women than men and with millennials and middle- aged people from Generation X than older audiences. (https:// yougov.co.uk/topics/media/explore/tv_programme/Friends ) The industry and audience factors of Friends are detailed on pages 144–146 of the student book. Link WJEC/Eduqas GCSE Media Studies Revision Guide 130