Differentiation of series and tastes for TV series: The French case

In the field of cultural practice, TV series emerged in the 1990s as a radically renewed cultural object and has met a growing audience. Much has been written about the renewal of the genre, but little, thus far, about the sociology of its viewership. Based on a representative survey of the practices and preferences of French adults, conducted in 2017, this article assesses the hypothesis of a differentiation of taste and practices for TV series. It draws on a factorial analysis and a hierarchical classification of TV series to examine the factors structuring this practice. It appears that the practice of series articulates three kinds of differentiation: by series (long tail), by uses (television vs new media), and by tastes (socio-existential questioning expressed by the age and socio-political anchoring of viewers).