Entertainment - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

Drop in ESPN Viewership Has Disney Worried

December 9, 2016

While a major entertainment conglomerate like Disney has many sources of income, the iconic brand earns the bulk of its revenue from TV networks like ESPN and ABC. This year these channels have brought in nearly $24 billion, exceeding the company’s theme park earnings by 40 percent. But this enormous payout doesn’t tell the whole story about Disney’s TV holdings. For the past few years, subscriptions to its premium channels have dropped significantly, leading to a similar dip in the Continue reading →

Sports, Entertainment, Television, Disney, Product Distribution, ESPN, Cable, Cord Cutting

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

[VIDEO] How China Is Changing Hollywood

December 6, 2016

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Thanks to a rapidly growing middle class, China has transformed into the largest moviegoing market in the world. And while Hollywood is the source for many of the nation’s hit flicks, American filmmakers still face a number of hurdles before they can do business in China. This video looks at the ways Hollywood tries to appeal to Chinese culture in order to break into this tough but rewarding market.

Questions:

What are the advantages and disadvantages of China’s revenue Continue reading →

Marketing, Global, Product Development, Entertainment, China, Product Distribution, Movies

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Videos

[VIDEO] Inside the Factory Where Robotic Dinosaurs Come to Life

November 10, 2016

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

When a group of Australian special effects artists were having trouble finding work, they decided to pool their resources together and create their own animatronics company. Most had planned to return to working on movies and television once they’d made a splash with their enormous, lifelike representations of dinosaurs and monsters. But Creature Technology wowed the world with their creations, leading to the bustling and almost magical workshop shown in the video below.

Questions:

Why must Creature Technology keep Continue reading →

Operations Management, Global, Entrepreneurship, Product Development, Entertainment, Creature Technology, Special Effects, Australia

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Videos

Hollywood Turns to Documentary Films for Blockbuster Inspiration

September 27, 2016

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

In recent years Hollywood has watched its dominance over entertainment decline as new forms of media like streaming video become more and more popular. As a result, today’s movie studios don’t take many risks when they’re planning the next crop of summer blockbusters. That’s why remakes and sequels appear so often now in multiplexes: Hollywood hopes that the public’s previous knowledge will encourage them to buy tickets to familiar franchises.

This plan didn’t exactly work in the summer of 2016, Continue reading →

Marketing, Product Development, Entertainment, Movies, Hollywood, Documentaries, Reboots

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion

Streaming Services Provide a Vital Revenue Boost for the Music Industry

September 22, 2016

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

As the Internet’s popularity began to rise in the late 1990s, the music industry had just enjoyed some of their best years to date. Annual sales soared over $14 billion at its peak, driven by an enormous demand for CDs that appeared to be insatiable. After 1999, however, consumer interest shifted online where users could download any song they wanted for free. While the Recording Industry Association of America tried in vain to stop illegal file trading, the practice only Continue reading →

Ethics, Entertainment, Streaming, Music, Product Distribution, Apple, Spotify, YouTube

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media

[VIDEO] How Free Games Are Designed to Make Money

August 12, 2016

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Mobile games like Pokemon Go and Clash of Clans have become revenue-generating machines despite being free to download in any app store. So how do these games manage to make money without a set price point? This fascinating video from Vox provides the answer by taking a close look at the optional purchases that drive profits for these apps.

Questions:

Is it ethical for freemium gamemakers to earn the bulk of their money from Continue reading →

Ethics, Product Development, Entertainment, Pricing, Video Games, Mobile, Apps, Pokémon Go, Mobile Gaming

Videos

Court Rules in Led Zeppelin’s Favor in “Stairway to Heaven” Suit

July 6, 2016

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

Two years ago Led Zeppelin made headlines after the band got hit with a lawsuit concerning their most iconic song. According to the complaint, songwriters Robert Plant and Jimmy Page stole the opening guitar riff to “Stairway to Heaven” from a short instrumental called “Taurus” by the American psychedelic band Spirit. While Led Zeppelin’s members denied any wrongdoing, cultural commenters pointed to the band’s history of plagiarism and previous legal battles. What’s more, the lawsuit appeared just months before another Continue reading →

Ethics, Product Development, Copyright, Entertainment, Regulation, Music, Led Zeppelin, Authorship

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Bonus Chapter A: Business Law

[VIDEO] It’s Not You. Claw Machines Are Rigged

June 1, 2016

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

With summer here at last, people across the country will be looking to fill up their free time with some fun. But if your idea of a good time includes trying your hand at a claw machine, you may want to pick up a more reliable hobby. As this video shows, many claw machines are designed to ensure that players continuously lose. So beware, those who frequent arcades and boardwalk midways, Continue reading →

Ethics, Product Development, Entertainment, Gambling, Games, Claw Machines

Videos

Chinese Movie Theaters Enjoy Box Office Boom

May 13, 2016

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

American movie theaters have endured a rough couple of years as more consumers turn to the comfort of their living rooms as venues for entertainment. That’s far from the case in China, however. The Asian nation has become an increasingly important source of revenue for U.S. movie studios that have seen domestic receipts start to dwindle. In February Chinese theaters earned $1.05 billion at the box office, beating the American tally by nearly $250 million.

Still, China isn’t exactly an Continue reading →

Global, Ethics, Entertainment, China, Regulation, Movies, Fraud

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Relies on Movie Lovers

April 21, 2016

NickelsMcHughMcHugh

For many modern Americans, going to the movie theater just doesn’t hold the same appeal as in years past. After all, consumers can easily access thousands of films from the comfort of their couches. Those especially fortunate individuals enjoy their media on 70-inch, surround-sound enabled televisions, further undermining the attraction of the theater experience. With these factors in mind, last week the CEO of AMC Theaters said that the company was considering lifting its ban on texting during screenings. Internet Continue reading →

Marketing, Texas, Entertainment, Product Distribution, Movies, New Media, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, AMC Theaters

Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 6: Entrepreneurship, Chapter 9: Production and Operations Management, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media