Global Streaming Services and Cultural Power Relations: Bertha Chin & Swapnil Rai

In this episode, Bertha Chin— Senior lecturer and the Director of the National University of Singapore’s Communications And New Media program— and Swapnil Rai—Associate Professor Film, Television and Media Associate Professor Communication and Media at the University of Michigan—join us to speak about the global streaming media landscape. From Bollywood to Hollywood, Rai and Chin dissect the complexity of media movements as both parts of cultural imperialism and the widening of fandoms. Both scholars lead us through discussions of the transnational circulations and development of series on streaming platforms, relating them to the wider topic of power relations within globalization. By the end, we are left to examine how we engage with transnational shows, who produces them, and how other countries have interpreted the same show. Is streaming the best way to be exposed to other cultures, or is it trying to mobilize the audiences and resources of other countries? 

Here are some of the references from this episode, for those who want to dig a little deeper:

Academic/Educational readings and resources:

• Transnational Streaming Television Reshaping Global Flows and Power
• Networked Bollywood How Star Power Globalized Hindi Cinema
• Crowdfunding the Future Media Industries, Ethics, and Digital Society
• Eating Fandom Intersections Between Fans and Food Cultures
• Bollywoodizing Netfix or globalizing Hotstar? The cultural-industrial logics of global streaming platforms in India
• Modi vs. Wild: Celebritized Politics and the Mediations of a Spiritual Strongman
• What Is Arthouse Cinema? A Guide to Movies Off the Mainstream Path [Article Link]
• Netflix Subscribers Statistics 2026 [Link]
• South Korean Panda discourse [News Link]

People & Places:

• Venice International Film Festival
• Berlin International Film Festival
• Cannes Film Festival
• Trader Joe’s
• Ted Sarandos
• Reed Hastings
• Lori Morimoto
• Julia Sonnevend
• Moo Deng
• Narendra Modi
• Bear Grylls
• Victor Orban
• Priyanka Chopra
• Lee Jung-jae
• Quentin Tarantino
• Sergio Leone
• Bong Joon Ho
• Dave Chappelle
• Takashi Miike

Media:

• Netflix
• Amazon Video
• Disney+ Hotstar
• K-pop (music genre)
• The X-Files
• Doctor Who
• BBC
• Salaam Namaste
• Paranormal
• Narcos
• Sacred Games [book, Netflix]
• Gangs of Wasseypur
• Gangs of Wasseypur 2
• 3%
• Game of Thrones
• Squid Games
• KPop Demon Hunters
  • Shin Ramyun Kpop Demon Hunters
• Bon Appétit, Your Majesty
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Scooby Doo
• Frankenstein (2025)
• Winter Sonata
• Man vs.Wild
• Star Wars
• Star Trek
• Mortal Kombat
• The Acolyte 
• The Mechanism
• Grillo Vs. Grillo
• Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj
• Record of Ragnarok [manga, TV show]
• Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2025 
• Universal Language
• Sukiyaki Western Django

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry, Colin and the How Do You Like It So Far? account! You can also email us at howdoyoulikeitsofarpodcast@gmail.com.

Music:
“In Time” by Dylan Emmett and “Spaceship” by Lesion X.
In Time (Instrumental) by Dylan Emmet https://soundcloud.com/dylanemmet
Spaceship by Lesion X https://soundcloud.com/lesionxbeats
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/in-time-instrumental
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/lesion-x-spaceship
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/AzYoVrMLa1Q
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––