From Text to Screen: Analysing Young Audience Perspectives of Literary Adaptations in Television
Abstract
Screen adaptations have gained notable popularity among younger audiences, especially within the romance genre. Nevertheless, adaptations of literary classics continue to receive limited attention from this demographic. This study investigates audience acceptance of literary adaptations in television dramas, drawing on Hall’s Reception Analysis Theory (1994) as the guiding framework. A quantitative survey design was employed, involving 162 purposively selected respondents who completed online questionnaires. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics via SPSS version 32.0. Findings reveal that Ayahanda (2021), aired on TV3, was the most watched adaptation, with 61 percent of respondents indicating viewership. Overall audience acceptance of literary adaptations was moderate with 154 respondents recording scores between 29 and 47. Spearman’s Rho correlation analysis revealed significant relationships between audience types and viewing habits (r = 0.558; r = 0.529; r = 0.203; p = 0.000; p = 0.000; p = 0.010). A medium-to-high positive correlation (r = 0.558) was also identified between dominant audience characteristics and acceptance of screen adaptations. The study offers valuable insights for content creators and broadcasters aiming to increase engagement with literary adaptations among younger viewers.
Keywords: Screen, text, adaptation, young audience, literary.
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Abele, R. (2012). The Twilight Saga: The complete film archive: Memories, mementos, and other treasures from the creative team behind the beloved movie series. Atom.
Aleksandrowicz, P. (2022). Translating the translated: The applicability of translated literary texts to the subtitling of their film adaptations. Perspectives, 30(3), 471–486. https://doi.org/10.1080/0907676X.2021.1913217
Ali, R. M., & Deng, P. A. (2018). Proses kreatif dalam media digital. International Journal of Modern Trends in Social Sciences, 1(4), 96–106.
Anwar, S. F. M. (2019, August 8). Usaha martabat sastera sia-sia tanpa generasi muda. Berita Harian Online. https://www.bharian.com.my/rencana/sastera/2019/08/594188/usahamartabat-sastera-sia-sia-tanpa-generasi-muda
Ayahanda. (2021). [TV Series]. TV3, Media Prima.
Azlan, M. A., & Bakar, M. S. A. (2019). Persepsi dan motivasi khalayak untuk membaca karya sastera dalam akhbar bercetak. Forum Komunikasi, 14(2), 91–115.
Badru, A., Hashim, H., & Adisa, R. M. (2022). Evaluation of factors influencing audience perception of Nollywood movies. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 38(2), 198–214. https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2022-3802-12
Baron, N. S. (2021). Know what? How digital technologies undermine learning and remembering. Journal of Pragmatics, 175, 27–37. https://doi.org/gmxcck
Bening Cahaya Maulid. (2016). [TV Series]. TV3, Media Prima.
Capa Rengat Gulai Rawa. (2021). [TV Series]. TV1, Radio Televisyen Malaysia.
Darussalam, G., & Hussin, S. (2018). Metodologi penyelidikan dalam pendidikan: Amalan dan analisis kajian (2nd ed.). Penerbit UM.
Grácio, R., Bengesser, C. H., Kauber, S., Damásio, M. J., Graça, A. R., & Primorac, J. (2025). Audience engagement with comedy films in small European markets. Comedy Studies, 16(2), 275–294. https://doi.org/10.1080/2040610X.2025.2516334
Halid, S. (2020, August 9). Sastera perlu hijrah ke platform digital. Berita Harian.
Hall, S. (1993). Cultural studies and its theoretical legacies. In L. Grossberg, C. Nelson, & P. A. Treichler (Eds.), Cultural studies (pp. 277–294). Routledge.
Hamid, M. N. S., & Yaapar, M. S. (2015). Adaptasi teks Hikayat Merong Mahawangsa kepada filem: Analisis perbandingan unsur naratif. Melayu: Jurnal Antarabangsa Dunia Melayu, 8(2), 201–223.
Hari-Hari Terakhir Seorang Seniman. (2013). [TV Series]. Astro.
Hennig-Thurau, T., & Houston, M. B. (2019). Entertainment science: Data analytics and practical theory for movies, games, books, and music. Springer.
Huyler, D., & Ciocca, D. (2015). Baby boomers: The use of technology to support learning. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/46953894.pdf
Ismail, A., Dawam, Z. A. M., & Sim, C. C. (2017). Subteks dan kejayaan naratif filem: Analisis filem The Journey (2014). Gendang Alam, 7, 15–136.
Jaafar, W. (2022, January 28). Fenomena adaptasi karya sastera penulis mapan: Suatu perkembangan yang ditunggu-tunggu. JendelaDBP Dewan Sastera. https://dewansastera.jendeladbp.my/2022/01/28/2804/
Jabat Erat-erat. (2022). [TV Series]. TV1, Radio Televisyen Malaysia.
Jalaluddin, N. H. (2019). Produk media karya agung Malaysia. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 35(3), 228–245. https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2019-3503-14
Kemboja di Hati. (2016). [TV Series]. TV Al-Hijrah.
Korban Kasih. (2020). [TV Series]. TV1, Radio Televisyen Malaysia.
Korban Kasih 2. (2020). [TV Series]. Drama TV. TV1, Radio Televisyen Malaysia.
Lee, K. H. Y. (2016). Audience response and from film adaptation to reading literature. CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture, 18(2), 2–6. https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/clcweb/vol18/iss2/
Low, J. L., & Mahmud, W. A. W. (2018). Persepsi penonton di Malaysia terhadap filem yang memenangi Academy Awards. Jurnal Wacana Sarjana, 3(2), 1–14.
Lu, Z. (2022). A response to Stuart Hall: Towards a creative decoding. Signs & Media, 2, 23–33.
Muthalib, H., & Wong, T. C. (2002). Gentle winds of change. In A. Vasudev, L. Padgaonkar, & R. Doraiswamy (Eds.), Being and becoming: The cinemas of Asia. Macmillan.
Osman, M. S. (2021, August 4). Drama adaptasi karya sastera lebih berpijak di bumi nyata. Berita Harian Online. https://www.bharian.com.my/rencana/mindapembaca/2021/08/846989/drama-adaptasi-karya-sastera-lebih-berpijak-di-bumi-nyata
Pendoa yang Ikhlas. (2019). [TV Series]. TV1, Radio Televisyen Malaysia.
Platun Harimau. (2011). [TV Series]. TV1, Radio Televisyen Malaysia.
Price, L. (2019). What we talk about when we talk about books: The history and future of reading. Hachette UK.
Rahman, M. A. A., & Deng, P. A. (2016). Mencari titik persamaan dan perbezaan dalam novel dan filem popular Melayu. Proceedings of International Seminar on Generating Knowledge Through Research, UUM-UMSIDA, 1095–1106.
Rustono, F. M., Benedicta, P. D. R., Harry., & Christine, W. S. B. W. (2022). Cultural identification of entrepreneurship competency through Tampan Tailor film based on multimodality perspective. Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication, 38(1), 305–322. https://doi.org/10.17576/JKMJC-2022-3801-17
Saidin, F., & Ahmad, J. (2015). Kesan pembacaan novel kepada remaja di Malaysia. Malaysian Journal of Youth Studies, 13, 217–233.
Salleh, M. S. M., Mahbob, N. N., & Baharudin, N. S. (2017). Overview of ‘Generation Z’ behavioural characteristic and its effect towards hostel facility. International Journal of Real Estate Studies, 11(2), 59–67.
Sesekali. (2019). [TV Series]. TV2, Radio Televisyen Malaysia.
Srengenge. (2017). [TV Series]. TV1, Radio Televisyen Malaysia.
Teh, W. H. W. (2018). The history of film adaptation in Malaysia: The long journey of its rise and fall. Malay Literature, 31(2), 362–382.
Twenge, J. M., Haidt, J., Lozano, J., & Cummins, K. M. (2022). Specification curve analysis shows that social media use is linked to poor mental health, especially among girls. Acta Psychologica, 224, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2022.103512
Wardani, T. I., Cahyo, P. S. N., & Meyrasyawati, D. (2025). Audience reception analysis toward women’s representation in Damsel. Rubikon: Journal of Transnational American Studies, 12(1), 1–24.
Wessels, B. (2023). How audiences form: Theorising audiences through how they develop relationships with film. Participations, 19(2).
Woodstock, L. (2016). “It’s kind of like an assault, you know”: Media resisters’ meta-decoding practices of media culture. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 33(5), 399–408. https://doi.org/10.1080/15295036.2016.1223840
Wu, S., & Bergman, T. (2019). An active, resistant audience – but in whose interest? Online discussions on Chinese TV dramas as maintaining dominant ideology. Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies, 16(1), 107–129.
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
e-ISSN: 2289-1528