This book focuses on market opportunity and segmentation, intellectual property assets enabling, financing production, theatrical distribution, the home video business, television distribution, internet distribution, ancillary revenues, marketing and making money & net profits, Hollywood accounting, and the relative simplicity of online revenue sharing.

In this updated edition of the industry staple, veteran media executive Jeff Ulin relates business theory and practice across key global market segments—film, television, and online/digital—providing you with an insider’s perspective that can't be found anywhere else. Learn how an idea moves from concept to profit and how distribution dominates the bottom line: Hollywood stars may make the headlines, but marketing and distribution are the behind-the-scenes drivers converting content into cash. The third edition: Includes perspectives from key industry executives at studios, networks, agencies and online leaders, including Fox, Paramount, Lucasfilm, Endeavor, Tencent, MPAA, YouTube, Amazon, and many more; Explores the explosive growth of the Chinese market, including box office trends, participation in financing Hollywood feature films, and the surge in online usage; Illustrates how online streaming leaders like Netflix, Amazon, Apple, YouTube, Hulu and Facebook are changing the way TV content is distributed and consumed, and in cases how these services are moving into theatrical markets; Analyzes online influences and disruption throughout the distribution chain, and explains the risks and impact stemming from changing access points (e.g., stand-alone apps), delivery methods (over-the-top) and consumption patterns (e.g., binge watching); Breaks down historical film windows, the economic drivers behind them, and how online and digital delivery applications are changing the landscape. Ulin provides the virtual apprenticeship you need to demystify and manage the complicated media markets, understand how digital distribution has impacted the ecosystem, and glimpse into the future of how film and television content will be financed, distributed and watched. An online eResource contains further discussion on topics presented in the book.

In this second edition, author Scott Kirkpatrick draws from over a decade of personal experience in the distribution arena to provide a clear and up-to-date overview of the entire film, television, and new media distribution business. Readers will learn what fuels the distribution process and exactly how the distribution business works from beginning to end—not merely what happens to a film or television series upon acquisition, but how distributors develop, presell and broker deals on content before it even exists. This new edition considers a much more international approach to media distribution, with case studies and analyses from across the globe. It also reflects on the ever-increasing relevance of diversity and inclusiveness in the industry, as well as the new media verticals like podcasts and the effects of social media influencers on the media landscape. The book will be an integral guidebook for any student or professional wishing to understand both the basics and the subtleties of media distribution. The book also contains a robust appendix containing in-depth studies of legal definitions, material delivery requirements, territory-by-territory financial projections and more.

There is no area of business that is more dramatically affected by the explosion of web-based services delivered to computers, PDAs and mobile phones than the film and television industries. The web is creating radical new ways of marketing and delivering television and film content; one that draws in not simply traditional broadcasters and producers but a whole new range of organizations such as news organizations, web companies and mobile phone service providers. This companion volume to Andrew Sparrow's Music Distribution and the Internet: A Legal Guide for the Music Business focuses on the practical application of UK and EU law as it applies to the distribution of television and film through the internet. This includes terms of contract and copyright as they affect studios, broadcasters, sales agents, distributors, internet service providers, film financiers, and online film retailers; as well as areas such as the licensing of rights. It also covers the commercial aspects of delivering film and television services to a customer base, including engaging with new content platforms, strategic agreements with content aggregators, protecting and exploiting intellectual property rights, data and consumer protection, and payment, online marketing and advertising. The opportunities for companies operating in this area are extraordinary (as are the legal implications) and Andrew Sparrow's highly practical guide provides an excellent starting point for navigating through what is a complex area of regulation, contract, copyright and consumer law.

Innovation in technology means that almost anyone can make an independent film these days. Although this may be good news for aspiring filmmakers, it also means that the oversupply of independent films on the market has caused acquisition prices to dramatically decrease. As a result, producers and investors rarely recover their initial investment in the films they make. But don't be discouraged! Use this book to learn the realities of the market in advance and map out a winning distribution plan. This comprehensive manual for filmmakers and producers dedicated to film distribution and the marketplace could mean the difference between getting your film out to the public and keeping it "in the can." Learn how to sell your movie to a studio, a cable network, a video distributor, or international buyers. Self-distribution and other alternatives to traditional distribution are also considered. As well, you'll hear some success stories from producers and hear directly from buyers what they are seeking. Stacey Parks has worked with dozens of hungry filmmakers to get their films a distribution deal and knows how frustrating the whole process can be. Let her tell you how you can take control of your filmmaking career and start getting your work seen by audiences with a few little-known distribution secrets. Features include: * Interviews and case studies with producers and distributors * Ten Ways to Market Your Film for Self-Distribution * Sales Projections per Territory * Distribution Resource Listings * Negotiation tips for distribution agreements * Sample distribution agreements

Print: in the right hands, in the right place, at the right time. That's effective distribution a critical step in the print supply chain. A customer's bottom line can be radically impacted by distribution decisions. Thus in our industry we cannot risk handling print distribution as an afterthought, but rather treat it as a value-added service. Dr. Cummings' book is the culmination of several years' investigation into print media distribution, drawn from primary research studies, case-studies, and in-depth expert interviews. It is the first publication to comprehensively analyze each player's role in the distribution of printed product, offering workflow solutions that can provide significant advantages to print producers' business models. Distribution is often the single largest cost factor in a printed piece, so understanding this element is as important as understanding labor costs, equipment financing, and information technology. Print Media Distribution is an essential resource for savvy print and transportation service providers, as well as educators who will train the next wave of the workforce in the best practices of print product delivery.

Distribution Revolution is a collection of interviews with leading film and TV professionals concerning the many ways that digital delivery systems are transforming the entertainment business. These interviews provide lively insider accounts from studio executives, distribution professionals, and creative talent of the tumultuous transformation of film and TV in the digital era. The first section features interviews with top executives at major Hollywood studios, providing a window into the big-picture concerns of media conglomerates with respect to changing business models, revenue streams, and audience behaviors. The second focuses on innovative enterprises that are providing path-breaking models for new modes of content creation, curation, and distributionÑcreatively meshing the strategies and practices of Hollywood and Silicon Valley. And the final section offers insights from creative talent whose professional practices, compensation, and everyday working conditions have been transformed over the past ten years. Taken together, these interviews demonstrate that virtually every aspect of the film and television businesses is being affected by the digital distribution revolution, a revolution that has likely just begun. Interviewees include: ¥ Gary Newman, Chairman, 20th Century Fox Television ¥ Kelly Summers, Former Vice President, Global Business Development and New Media Strategy, Walt Disney Studios ¥ Thomas Gewecke, Chief Digital Officer and Executive Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, Warner Bros. Entertainment ¥ Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer, Netflix ¥ Felicia D. Henderson, Writer-Producer, Soul Food, Gossip Girl ¥ Dick Wolf, Executive Producer and Creator, Law & Order

As the digital revolution has democratised film production, a new hybrid model of distribution is the way independent filmmakers can take control of their own distribution. This approach is not just DIY or Web-based - it combines the best techniques from each distribution arena, old and new. In Think Outside the Box Office, Reiss explains audience identification and targeting, negotiating split-rights agreements, the new role of film festivals and more.

By March 2020, the spread of COVID-19 had reached pandemic proportions, forcing widespread shutdowns across industries, including Hollywood. Studios, networks, production companies, and the thousands of workers who make film and television possible were forced to adjust their time-honored business and labor practices. In this book, Kate Fortmueller asks what happened when the coronavirus closed Hollywood. Hollywood Shutdown examines how the COVID-19 pandemic affected film and television production, influenced trends in distribution, reshaped theatrical exhibition, and altered labor practices. From January movie theater closures in China to the bumpy September release of Mulan on the Disney+ streaming platform, Fortmueller probes various choices made by studios, networks, unions and guilds, distributors, and exhibitors during the evolving crisis. In seeking to explain what happened in the first nine months of 2020, this book also considers how the pandemic will transform Hollywood practices in the twenty-first century.

The media are in crisis. Confronted by growing competition and sagging advertising revenue, news operations in print, on radio and TV, and even online are struggling to reinvent themselves. Many have gone under. For too many others, the answer has been to lay off reporters, join conglomerates, and lean more heavily on generic content. The result: in a world awash with information, news organizations provide citizens with less and less in-depth reporting and a narrowing range of viewpoints. If democracy requires an informed citizenry, this trend spells trouble. Julia Cagé explains the economics and history of the media crisis in Europe and America, and she presents a bold solution. The answer, she says, is a new business model: a nonprofit media organization, midway between a foundation and a joint stock company. Cagé shows how this model would enable the media to operate independent of outside shareholders, advertisers, and government, relying instead on readers, employees, and innovative methods of financing, including crowdfunding. Cagé’s prototype is designed to offer new ways to share and transmit power. It meets the challenges of the digital revolution and the realities of the twenty-first century, inspired by a central idea: that news, like education, is a public good. Saving the Media will be a key document in a debate whose stakes are nothing less crucial than the vitality of democracy.