COVID-19 Leads to Power Shifts in the Entertainment Industry: First Hamilton, Now Mulan
Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy and the Tepper School of Business are pleased to invite you to a virtual discussion with award-winning scholar Michael Smith, J. Erik Jonsson Professor of Information Technology and Marketing at the Heinz College (with joint appointment at the Tepper School of Business), who will offer his insights on the trends changing the entertainment industry. Smith is co-author of Streaming, Sharing, Stealing: Big Data and the Future of Entertainment (MIT Press, 2016).
The global COVID-19 pandemic has led to historic changes in the entertainment industry. With lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, subscriptions and viewership rates for streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ have soared, along with the stock prices for the companies. In July, Disney shifted its film version of the hit musical, Hamilton, to a direct-to-streaming release which drove up Disney+ app downloads 74% in the U.S. Next, Disney’s decision to bypass cinemas to offer its latest big budget film, Mulan, directly to streaming subscribers for $29.99 could signal the beginning of a change in the traditional movie-going experience – and forever disrupt the long-established business model for the Hollywood blockbuster.
Tuesday, October 13 | 1:30PM - 2:30PM ET