Att skapa kvalitet En studie av den svenska TV-produktionens definition av kvalitet och kvalitetens betydelse för branschen

Sammanfattning: In light of the growing TV industry in Sweden competition is intensified. Production companies have increased in number and public service has gone through major organizational changes in order to adapt to the new market conditions. Stockholm is the major cluster for TV production. As a consequence production firms are located there. The thesis reveals that competition has risen and a certain trend of specialization has taken place. The Swedish public television provider has increased its collaboration with other production companies and also exports its own formats. As quality plays a crucial part in TV production it is relevant to understand the stakeholders and their definition of the concept of quality in relation to production and what role it plays in the interconnection between the decision makers and the creators. This thesis addresses two subjects. First the geographic nature of the Swedish TV industry: Its location, district and the network within the Stockholm region. Second the concept of quality and how the different stakeholders’ within the Stockholm region define quality in TV production. Using qualitative interviews similarities and differences in the concept of quality were discovered. The major differences are related to stakeholders’ relation to the cultural and economic spheres. Two formats were singled out for comparison: Reality shows and TV-series (all genres).  Firstly gate-keepers definitions in relation to formats and genres are analyzed through interviews. Secondly a participatory observation of the Swedish drama series Real Humans was conducted. By observing and interacting with the production and those involved the concept of quality is addressed in the creative context. I argue that there are similarities in the conceptualization of quality between different stakeholders but differences when prioritizing and crafting quality. Hence there is a complexity in the definition within TV-production which is identified and discussed in this thesis.