[campbellmorgan]

I think this is the essence of most modern entertainment. I once produced a pilot children's animation and had written a "bible" - the text that sets out what you plan to do for a series - and was told by a senior commissioner in no uncertain terms that modern children's tv series "must take place in the same place with the same characters so kids can come home and watch the show at the same time every day and feel like they have a family while their parents are doing something else. That way they buy into the brand and parents buy all the merchandise". As you mention, it's the inevitable consequence of optimisation and why there should always be a space for government-funded programming and art.

[jedmeyers]

> there should always be a space for government-funded programming and art.

Why is everything people want has to be government funded? Just go ask people for money directly, like a lot of the abovementioned youtube stars do. Tax man with the gun does not have to be involved with this.

[SmellyGeekBoy]

What country do you live in where the tax men have guns!? Ours just send lots of strongly-worded letters.

[WalterBright]

> there should always be a space for government-funded programming and art

Government funded art doesn't make it pure art, it makes it art that serves the political aims of the bureaucrats charged with doling out the money.

[campbellmorgan]

Absolutely. But I for one would rather live in a world that had the diversity of both private and state-funded art, each with their own biases. Surely that's better than the single influence of the market?

[dagw]

Government funded art doesn't make it pure art

Sure, but it's no less pure than art funded by a private benefactor or patron.