[Full text freely available at
http://www.intralinea.org/specials/article/viewership_2.0]
The evolution of the new media has led to enormous changes in television production and consumption. As a consequence of the proliferation of TV networks and online file-sharing tools, television shows are now tailored to suit specific, dedicated niche audiences with a significantly higher proficiency in program reception. “Viewers 2.0” subvert the traditional construct of TV spectators as couch potatoes by actively exploring fictional worlds and appropriating and remediating contents through cultural practices of textual poaching such as fan fiction, fan videos, or fan translation. This paper analyzes the impact of this new level of engagement among Italian viewers, who are now questioning the previously unchallenged dubbing process and showing an increasing openness towards different solutions such as fansubbing (the distribution of amateur subtitles shortly after the original airing of each TV show episode). While this alternative may not appeal to the Italian audience in its entirety, in that it requires an active linguistic effort, the growing number of people who join fansubbing communities and proficiently appraise AVT strategies on forums and social networks signals a substantial development in the preferences of Italian viewers. Besides its significant sociological implications, this evolution also calls for a reassessment of AVT practices, since the immediate availability of costless subtitles generates tough competition for professional solutions, which are usually better from a technical perspective, but often also delayed and less accurate in terms of each show’s specific identity and intra- and intertextual references. This paper will thus explore the effects of the new forms of television reception on the AVT industry, analyzing the impact of the response of the Italian audience to the transatlantic acquisition of the recent hit shows How I Met Your Mother, New Girl, and The Big Bang Theory and positing a future synergy between AVT professionals and knowledgeable fansubbers.
