Unlocking Television Archives in the Digital Era

Unlocking Television Archives in the Digital Era is the proceedings volume of the 16th Media Mutations International Conference, held at the University of Bologna (26–27 May 2025). The collection addresses the complex negotiations between technology and memory that characterize archive use in an age of multi-channel distribution and digital platforms. Contributors examine how digitisation, recovery, access, and sharing have reshaped the relationship between media institutions and their audiovisual heritage, while also raising urgent questions about fair use, sustainability, and the uneven distribution of archival resources across public broadcasters, commercial networks, and local channels. Developed in dialogue with the PRIN 2020 research project ATLas – Atlante delle Televisioni Locali, the volume pays particular attention to lesser-known archival experiences and adopts a transnational perspective that moves beyond Eurocentric frameworks. Topics range from local Italian broadcasting history and AI-driven recontextualization of archival content, to decolonial approaches to audiovisual heritage, pirate care and shadow libraries, true crime television, and the role of archives in strengthening public broadcasters' streaming strategies. Together, the essays argue for the enduring relevance of legacy media within contemporary digital environments and advocate for more inclusive, critically aware archival practices.