Transmediality of The Voice Russia

Student: Medvedev Sergej

Supervisor: Renira Gambarato

Faculty: Faculty of Media Communications

Educational Programme: Master

Final Grade: 10

Year of Graduation: 2014

This thesis discusses transmedia storytelling practices followed by Channel One in the second season of The Voice Russia reality singing contest, an adaptation of The Voice format. The overall aim of the study is to explore the structure of the project and identify its particular transmedia features. The main research objectives of the thesis are: 1. to analyze and structure the most significant results of academic transmedia studies; 2. to understand the specifics of transmedia approach when set under the Russian media market conditions; 3. to explore the extensions, platforms and audience engagement strategies employed by the second season of The Voice Russia; 3. to compare the project’s practices with TS basics; 4. to examine the opportunities of TS taken by the project; 5. to explain why TS principles followed by Channel One are capable of facilitating the further progress of transmedia practices in the Russian media market.According to the objectives of the thesis, the following methods were applied: Method of participant observation, semi-structured expert interviews, case study and transmedia project design analytical model by Renia Gambarato (2013). In The Voice Russia case study, extensions, platforms, and audience engagement strategies among other characteristics employed by the second season of the contest are examined from the perspective of transmedia storytelling theoretical basics (Henry Jenkins (2006), Geoffrey Long (2007), Christy Dena (2009), and Robert Pratten (2011), among others). The research methods of participant observation and semi-structured expert interviews are capable of enriching The Voice Russia case study with relevant data on the subject of the research. Transmedia project design analytical model is applied to The Voice Russia case study in order to summarize and analyze the data previously collected with the other methods. The application of the transmedia project design analytical model demonstrates that the show utilizes certain TS principles. Among others, the project follows the principles of participatory culture, and distinctive and valuable content is provided by the extensions (TV episodes, documentory episodes, online conferences, spoiler discussions, V-reports, etc.) of The Voice Russia narrative which unfolds across multiple media platforms (TV broadcasting, Website, social media communities, for instance). Thus, the hypothesis that the second season of The Voice Russia applies certain principles of T

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