The Transmedia Ministry: Narrative Expansions and Participatory Cultures

Abstract

This article analyzes one of the most outstanding phenomena of the Spanish cultural industry of the second decade of the 21st century: The Ministry of Time. A few days after its release, this series—born as a strictly televised “monomeditic” product—became one of the most interesting examples of transmedia narrative produced in Spanish. In particular, this article focuses on two key aspects to understand the dynamics that transmedia narratives can generate. On the one hand, the stress caused by the low TV ratings of the series (which always threaten its continuity) and the enormous online activity of their fans, a conflict that points to the forms of measurement (and the concept itself) audience in post-broadcasting. And on the other, the emerging phenomenon in the Spanish context from The Ministry of Time: the fans’ professionalization, which is evidenced, for example, in the sale of products—by users—on the same website of Radio Televisión Española. The article ends with some reflections on the disruptive nature of the series and other issues linked to a narrative world that will leave its mark on the history of the Spanish cultural industry beyond the short term.