“Cashed-up Chinese companies have grander ambitions than the domestic market, making investments in US studios, signing co-production deals with other countries and seeking global box office success. In the biggest deal of its kind to date, a unit of state-backed Hunan TV in March announced a $1.5 billion agreement to fund the movies of US studio Lionsgate.”
Category: media
In TV: A Built-In Fan Base Is Great, But They’re Pretty Demanding
Genre properties dominate TV’s most popular adaptations, and genre audiences — typically science-fiction, fantasy and horror fans — are typically the most vocally devoted to their sources. “One is very aware of the devoted following to the books, and one wants to do right by that fan base while at the same time obviously taking advantage of the built-in constituency for the story.”
The First MOOC? Why ‘Sesame Street’ Is Such A Powerful Educational Tool
“A new study out of the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that the TV show is ‘the largest, and least expensive, early childhood intervention ever introduced in this country’.” How did that happen?
It’s A Hit – A Movie Theatre Where Seats Move With The Onscreen Action
“Since opening a year ago, Regal’s converted 4DX auditorium in downtown Los Angeles — whose seats move along with the action on the screen — has attracted 70,000 customers and generated $1.5 million in ticket sales, the location’s owners said on Tuesday.”
Public Radio Hasn’t Had Any Weekend Hits In A While. Here’s Why
“In the retail world, mall managers who lose anchors and don’t replace them wind up tearing down the building and selling the land to Walmart. If we don’t tend to our anchors, stations’ weekend schedules will start to feel like half-empty shopping malls with a ragtag collection of specialty stores with no customers.”
The Hardest Things About Making An Amy Winehouse Documentary
“[Director Asif Kapadia] maintains that the documentary is a faithful depiction of the events that led to Winehouse’s death in 2011 at her home in London, and that his only agenda was to tell the truth. We spoke with him recently about the biggest challenges he faced in getting the film to theaters.”
How Podcasts Are Saving National Public Radio
“While the nonprofit’s stations are primarily dependent on federal funding, corporate sponsorship, and individual donations to stay on the air, the company has suffered from deficits and leadership changes in the past few years, leading to cutbacks and layoffs of its talented staff. But not this year. Along with some steps to reduce costs and develop new strategies, the Internet is helping to save the radio star.”
The Guy Who Makes Netflix’ House Of Cards Has No Clue How Many People Have Watched It
“They have never given me any data whatsoever. All they say is, ‘Well, we’re doing well and we’d like another season.’ And that’s really all I need to know.”
China’s E-Commerce Giant Alibaba Will Soon Launch ‘Netflix-Like’ Streaming Service
“As an online marketplace, Alibaba is more profitable than Amazon, but the move falls in line with Amazon’s ambitions to make Amazon Prime Instant a popular destination for video streaming.”
How Hollywood Sets Up Women Superheroes To Fail
“That’s our double standard. Poorly penned scripts. Rom-com female superheroes. A lack of female writers. A lack of understanding female audiences. Unknown directors. Significantly lower budgets. Little, if any, merchandising.”