Abstract
This essay examines discourses of viewer choice in Australian pay TV and how central to them is the illusion of an all-powerful viewer in control of programming, who can watch what they want when they want. Drawing on the work of Karen Lury, it theorises programming and scheduling practices in the industry, focusing on the importance of this idea of viewing. It then considers how the introduction of a personal digital recorder (PDR) type device — specifically Foxtel's iQ — encourages practices linked to choice such as times/lifting, co-participation and customisation, and looks at how the use of such a device has more in common with a download culture where users search for media rather than tune in at a particular time. The essay explores how the iQ extends the discourse of viewer choice.
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