"No es televisión, es HBO": La búsqueda de la diferencia como indicador de calidad en los dramas del canal HBO

Abstract

In this article we analyse the production of drama series of the North American cable channel HBO and how, through these series, the channel has managed to establish a brand identity that individualises its products on an increasingly fragmented market. Our starting point is the factors that led HBO to start producing drama series as a way of securing the loyalty of its subscribers, thus displacing audience ratings as the main criterion for measuring the success of a programme. The drama series Oz, The Sopranos, Six feet under, The wire, Carnivàle, Deadwood and Rome have put the channel's slogan "It's not television, it's HBO" into practice through three basic characteristics: collaboration with successfully established writers, the inclusion of taboo contents and the renovation of narrative and genre formulas.