Hollywood and COVID-19

Bibliography

Books

Broe, Dennis , Birth of the Binge: Serial TV and the End of Leisure , Wayne State University Press, 2019. A television scholar and critic examines the addictive practice of binge-watching TV shows and how this relates to changes in American political, economic and social life.

Fenton, Chris , Feeding the Dragon: Inside the Trillion Dollar Dilemma Facing Hollywood, the NBA, & American Business , Post Hill Press, 2020. The former president of DMG Entertainment Motion Picture Group chronicles his experiences making movies for the Chinese market and criticizes the self-censorship culture Hollywood has accepted to get films into China.

Hastings, Reed, and Erin Meyer , No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention , Penguin Press, 2020. Netflix co-founder Hastings writes that the company was able to lead an entertainment industry revolution by fostering a culture of innovation and adaptability.

Articles

Amos, Jim , “The 6 Things Theater Owners Should Do To Stay Relevant In The Streaming Era,” Forbes, July 30, 2019, https://tinyurl.com/yxktxm9k. An entertainment industry writer suggests steps theater owners can take to stave off competition from streaming platforms.

Danaher, Brett , “Column: As the Streaming Wars Heat Up, Why Are Consumers Losing Out?” dot.LA, July 29, 2020, https://tinyurl.com/y3lx2ap7. A Chapman University business and economics professor discusses consumers' difficulties with streaming services, including content fractured among numerous channels and costs rising due to having to purchase multiple services separately.

Linnane, Ciara , “Why cinema will survive the coronavirus pandemic,” MarketWatch, Dec. 4, 2020, https://tinyurl.com/y2s38atk. Despite analysts' warnings, an investing and corporate news editor argues that fans' emotional and sentimental attachment to movie-going, dating from childhood, will lead them to return to theaters as soon as it is deemed safe.

Nunan, Tom , “Severely Low Ratings Saturday Nights Signal Deeper Issues With Broadcast TV,” Forbes, Jan. 31, 2021, https://tinyurl.com/y4vjl7yh. A longtime film and TV producer notes how legacy broadcast networks today feature reality TV, sports and news over scripted content, now largely ceded to streaming services.

Rubin, Peter , “Imax Ditched VR — but Big Theaters Are Buying In,” Wired, Feb. 8, 2018, https://tinyurl.com/yy3aotej. Big theaters are experimenting with virtual reality experiences in a smarter way than Imax did and may be more successful with it.

Sutton, Kelsey , “Analysts Explain What This Year's Seismic TV Changes Mean for 2021,” Adweek, Dec. 28, 2020, https://tinyurl.com/y53ms4cq. Multiple industry analysts discuss the outlook for 2021 regarding streaming, cable cord-cutting and other trends.

Zetlin, Minda , “Blockbuster Could Have Bought Netflix for $50 Million, but the CEO Thought It Was a Joke,” Inc., Sept. 20, 2019, https://tinyurl.com/y2cf96dc. Netflix co-founder Hastings claims Blockbuster executives dismissed an opportunity to buy the streaming company during its struggling early days.

Reports and Studies

“Beyond Checking A Box: A Lack of Authentically Inclusive Representation Has Costs at the Box Office,” Center for Scholars & Storytellers, Oct. 6, 2020, https://tinyurl.com/yy9zusvf. A UCLA-based nonprofit that promotes positive youth development finds that a lack of authentically inclusive representation in movies can cost millions of dollars in lost revenue.

“Digital Media Trends Survey, 14th edition,” Center for Technology, Media & Telecommunications, Deloitte, 2020, https://tinyurl.com/y385ddmg. A business consultancy finds most consumers prefer ad-supported streaming services rather than having to buy a subscription, and that 22 percent rented new movies released directly to streaming services, with young people most likely to prefer streaming.

“Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2020-2024,” PricewaterhouseCoopers, https://tinyurl.com/y3wqcd5l. Industry analysts predict the effects of the pandemic on the entertainment and media industry over the next few years.

“Hollywood Diversity Report 2020, A Tale of Two Hollywoods,” UCLA College of Social Sciences, Part One: https://tinyurl.com/yxeapvz2 and Part Two: https://tinyurl.com/y5utmw2c. This two-part report examines diversity in the movie and TV industries and finds that women and minorities are close to proportionate representation in acting roles, but not behind the scenes.

“Inequality in 1,300 Popular Films: Examining Portrayals of Gender, Race/Ethnicity, LGBTQ & Disability from 2007 to 2019,” Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, Sept. 8, 2020, https://tinyurl.com/y467djnw. A University of Southern California think tank that studies diversity in entertainment finds little to no progress in representation of minorities, women, LGBTQ and disabled characters in the 13 years the organization has been monitoring the trends.

“The Relationship Between Movie Theatre Attendance and Streaming Behavior,” Ernst & Young, February 2020, https://tinyurl.com/yywx79wj. Results of a survey commissioned by the National Association of Theatre Owners shows heavy movie-streamers also are more likely to be theatergoers, while those who do not attend movies in theaters are less likely to stream them at home.

Tager, James, and Jonathan Landreth , “Made in Hollywood, Censored by Beijing: The U.S. Film Industry and Chinese Government Influence,” PEN America, Aug. 5, 2020, https://tinyurl.com/y3gjn62b. A nonprofit that focuses on freedom of artistic expression examines how Chinese censorship of U.S. films triggers self-censorship in Hollywood and recommends how the industry can combat the practice.

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