Peer Re-Production and an Extended Culture Industry. The Case of TV Content and Redistribution in Europeanizing and Globalizing Poland

Abstract

Television content – mostly American productions – circulates among Polish Internet users. The article analyzes the increase in the scale of re-production of audiovisual content among large groups of the Polish network society. The growth in “peer re-production” constitutes an “extended culture industry.” The case of Poland is studied with quantitative audience research and survey research. The growth in the use of streaming websites providing free access to audiovisual content is explained in terms of the Polish local history of “piracy,” ongoing global processes and the generation gap.