Streaming - McGraw-Hill Introduction to Business

Hollywood Screenwriters Go on Strike

May 3, 2023

Members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) began walking picket lines yesterday after failing to agree a new deal with production companies. This strike marks an end to 15 years of labor peace in Hollywood, bringing dozens of television and film projects to an immediate and indefinite halt. According to representatives of the approximately 11,500 striking writers, the rise of streaming has upended the industry and led to declining conditions for creative workers. For example, in the past network Continue reading →

Entertainment, Ethics, Labor Relations, Movies, Streaming, Strikes, Television, Unions

Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Chapter 10: Motivation, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization

Hollywood Rediscovers the Profitable Magic of Movie Theaters

April 18, 2023

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The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 changed the movie exhibition industry forever, as theaters around the country closed their doors and streaming services racked up millions of new subscribers. At the time, some experts predicted that platforms like Netflix and Disney+ would take over the attention of moviegoers entirely as theaters gradually faded into obscurity. In the years that followed, though, the enthusiasm surrounding streaming has started to taper off as these services continue to mount up debt Continue reading →

Entertainment, Marketing, Movie theaters, Product Distribution, Promotions, Streaming

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

The Tricky Task of Monetizing Esports

February 24, 2023

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This week, the esports talent agency GameSquare announced that it hired Tyler “Ninja” Blevins as its Chief Innovation Officer. A famous Fortnite streamer with more than 17 million followers on the platform Twitch, the company said Ninja will “curate disruptive strategies, pursue new business opportunities, and explore next-gen technologies to accelerate the [e-sports] industry’s growth within pop culture.” This will also give Ninja another source of revenue besides streaming, which he claims to earn $500,000 a month from while keeping Continue reading →

Warner Bros. Scraps Release of Batgirl

August 3, 2022

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Last year, the movie studio Warner Bros. announced that it was working on a slate of films created specifically for the streaming service HBO Max. Among these titles was Batgirl, whose budget ballooned to more than $90 million after completing most of the film. But rather than release this star-studded adaptation of a DC Comics character, Warner said yesterday that the movie would never stream online nor would it ever appear in theaters.

Along with ditching Batgirl, Continue reading →

Accounting, Advertising, Entertainment, Ethics, HBO Max, Hollywood, Marketing, Movies, Product Distribution, Promotions, Streaming

Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Chapter 18: Financial Management, Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization

Netflix Stock Tanks after Drop in Subscribers

April 26, 2022

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Netflix revolutionized the entertainment industry after the company launched its streaming service in 2007, creating an on-demand platform that was soon imitated by many competitors. Although Netflix still has the largest audience in the industry with 220 million subscribers, the company faces strong competition from services like Disney+, HBO Max, and many others. No longer the only game in town, over the years Netflix has spent big on original television series and movies in order to stand out from this Continue reading →

Entertainment, Food & Drink, Marketing, Netflix, Product Development, Product Distribution, Promotions, Streaming, Supply & Demand

Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Chapter 13: Marketing, Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 16: Place and Promotion, Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 2: Economics

[VIDEO] How the Pandemic Changed the Movie Business

January 11, 2022

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For decades, Hollywood studios and movie exhibitors abided by the law of the “theatrical window,” the period of time where a film could only be seen in theaters. This window steadily shrank over the years as home video and streaming gained dominance until it was almost obliterated in 2020 as theaters shut down for the pandemic. The fascinating video below looks at the ways that coronavirus changed domestic movie distribution and how theaters could still have a profitable future ahead Continue reading →

Cable Ratings Drop as Streaming Dominates Home Entertainment

November 11, 2021

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The September premiere of the latest season of American Crime Story generated tons of press for the Emmy-winning FX show, but unfortunately the network could not transform that media attention into viewership. Despite being one of the most acclaimed dramas in recent years, American Crime Story ranks 15th in the ratings and generates next to no chatter on social media. Of course, that’s likely because this television show only airs on TV: due to a previous agreement with Netflix, American Continue reading →

Entertainment, Marketing, Netflix, Product Distribution, Streaming, Television

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

[VIDEO] How Scarlett Johansson’s Disney Lawsuit Could Change Actor Pay

August 13, 2021

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Last week, we looked at how Scarlett Johansson filed a lawsuit against Disney alleging that Black Widow’s premiere on the company’s streaming platform deprived the movie star of income. The video below dives into further detail about how this upcoming legal battle could set the stage for big changes in Hollywood as on-screen talent looks to grab a piece of the increasingly important streaming market.

Questions:

How could Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit against Disney potentially transform actor compensation in Continue reading →

Compensation, Entertainment, Ethics, Labor Relations, Movies, Product Distribution, Streaming

Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility

Disney Faces Movie Star Lawsuits for Streaming Premieres

August 3, 2021

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For decades, Hollywood’s top movie stars have brokered contracts that grant them a percentage of a film’s box office earnings in addition to their multi-million dollar salaries. Then the pandemic hit last year and completely upended the industry’s long-established practice of premiering movies in theaters. Instead, studios like Disney and Warner Bros. released new titles through the streaming platforms Disney+ and HBO Max as $30 single-viewing rentals.

Once theaters began to reopen in 2021, studios combined both of these Continue reading →

Compensation, Disney, Entertainment, Ethics, Marvel, Movie theaters, Movies, Product Distribution, Streaming

Bonus Chapter B: Technology and New Media, Chapter 11: Human Resource Management, Chapter 12: Labor Management and Unions, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 4: Ethics and Social Responsibility

AT&T to Sell WarnerMedia in Multi-Billion Dollar Deal with Discovery

May 18, 2021

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In 2018, the telecommunications conglomerate AT&T purchased the media company Time Warner for a whopping $85 billion. Along with placing the telecom giant in prime position to reshape the entertainment world, the enormous price tag associated with this deal also saddled AT&T with a huge amount of debt. The company hoped that streaming services like HBO Max would bring in new customers and revenue streams that would justify its massive investment.

Three years later, however, it appears that AT&T’s merger Continue reading →

Cable, Entertainment, Global, Mergers & Acquisitions, Product Development, Product Distribution, Streaming, Television

Chapter 14: Product and Price, Chapter 15: Distribution, Chapter 1: Taking Risks and Making Profits, Chapter 3: Globalization, Chapter 5: Forms of Business Ownership