Publications

23 Oct 2006
Research & Ideas

Will the “Long Tail” Work for Hollywood?

retailer of these products) to do? It's not clear whether any single producer or distributor can do much to take advantage of the long-tail phenomenon. "This is obviously the key question, and one that many in the View Details

Keywords: by Julia Hanna; Entertainment & Recreation

May 2008 (Revised September 2009)
Case

Radiohead: Music at Your Own Price (A)

By: Anita Elberse and Jason Bergsman

In October 2007, the British band Radiohead caused a stir when it announced it would allow customers to decide how much to pay for its new album, released exclusively as a digital download and available only from the band's own website. The pricing plan represented a... View Details

Keywords: Music Entertainment; Price; Marketing Strategy; Distribution; Problems and Challenges; Online Technology; Music Industry

March 2022
Case

BTS & ARMY

By: Doug J. Chung and Kay R. Koo

The South Korean K-pop band, BTS, is shattering linguistic boundaries and reshaping the global music industry. BTS became the first band in Billboard history to simultaneously top the Billboard Artist 100, Billboard Hot 100, and Billboard 200; and the sixth act to have... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment; Music Entertainment; Marketing; Brands and Branding; Social and Collaborative Networks; Social Enterprise; Consumer Behavior; Music Industry; Music Industry

February 2023
Case

Roblox: Virtual Commerce in the Metaverse

By: Ayelet Israeli and Nicole Tempest Keller

In 2022, Roblox had 58.8 million daily active users, including over half of all children and teens under the age of 16 in the United States. Roblox, a free-to-use “co-experience platform”, allowed users to come together in immersive 3D experiences to socialize, work,... View Details

September 2009
Article

The Technology Manager's Journey: An Extended Narrative Approach to Educating Technical Leaders

By: Robert D. Austin, Richard L. Nolan and Shannon O'Donnell

Technology management poses particular challenges for educators because it requires a facility with different kinds of knowledge and wide-ranging learning abilities. We report on the development and delivery of an information technology (IT) management course designed... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Management; Knowledge Use and Leverage; Business Education; Multinational Firms and Management; Entertainment; Communication; Curriculum and Courses; Framework; Design; Goals and Objectives; Learning; Information Technology Industry

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Read Now

17 Jul 2006
Lessons from the Classroom

Developing a Strategy for Digital Convergence

about capturing value through intellectual property regimes, standards, and technology platforms. Digital convergence takes center stage in the final module. Convergence examples, suddenly, are plentiful. Computing View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Computer; Education

26 Jun 2023
Research & Ideas

Want to Leave a Lasting Impression on Customers? Don't Forget the (Proverbial) Fireworks

for example, by arranging speakers at a conference to increase in popularity over time, or scheduling entertainment acts on a cruise to become better and more anticipated night after night. “It doesn’t even... View Details

Keywords: by Michael Blanding; Entertainment & Recreation

21 Apr 2023
Research & Ideas

The $15 Billion Question: Have Loot Boxes Turned Video Gaming into Gambling?

in loot boxes and protect consumers, the authors suggest. The work resonates beyond entertainment to offer insights for the many industries facing regulatory pressures View Details

Keywords: by Scott Van Voorhis; Video Game; Media & Broadcasting

18 Jul 2023
News

The First Five Years: Brooke Biederman (MBA 2019)

eye-opening glimpse under the hood of an industry I love. Coupled with my time on movie sets and in production offices, I saw the industry’s huge potential for innovation. During business school, I also... View Details

Keywords: Robert Bochnak

November 2016 (Revised May 2017)
Case

The Black List

By: Henry McGee and Sarah McAra

Franklin Leonard founded The Black List in 2005 as an innovative approach to identifying potential hit movie scripts via crowdsourcing. As the annual Black List proved to hold the scripts of some of Hollywood’s most successful films, from “Slumdog Millionaire” to... View Details

Keywords: Screenwriting; Independent Production; Hollywood; Film Development; Film Distribution; Film Financing; Manging Uncertainty; Barriers To Entry; Globalization; Digitalization; Film Entertainment; Entrepreneurship; Marketing; Media; Strategy; Motion Pictures and Video Industry; United States

October 1990 (Revised March 1993)
Background Note

Note on Cable Television Regulation

By: Willis M. Emmons III

Examines the evolution of the U.S. cable television industry since its inception in the early 1950s. Particular emphasis is given to the roles played by technology, consumer demand, and regulation at both the local and federal level. Designed to facilitate a conceptual... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Demand and Consumers; Government Legislation; Business Growth and Maturation; Monopoly; Television Entertainment; Telecommunications Industry; Telecommunications Industry

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Career Coach

Wendi Zhang

Wendi partners with MBA students and alumni to meet them where they are in their career journey, and 1) if undecided - helps them get clarity, 2) if decided - coaches them in taking the next steps to reach... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment / Media; Entertainment / Media; Entertainment / Media; Entertainment / Media; Entertainment / Media; Entertainment / Media; Entertainment / Media; Entertainment / Media; Entertainment / Media; Entertainment / Media; Entertainment / Media; Entertainment / Media; Entertainment / Media; Entertainment / Media

01 Mar 2024
News

Game On

momentum, as well as the uncanny levels of enthusiasm for the game, it’s no surprise that billions of dollars are being poured into the industry in the shape of pro teams and tournaments, franchises,... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint; photographed by Edward Linsmier; Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries; Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries

18 Mar 2013
HBS Case

HBS Cases: LEGO

great," he says. Thomke, the William Barclay Harding Professor of Business Administration, wrote the case with Harvard Business School's Jan W. Rivkin, the Bruce V. Rauner Professor of Business Administration, and Daniela... View Details

Keywords: by Maggie Starvish; Entertainment & Recreation

May 2021
Case

Roku 2021

By: David B. Yoffie and Daniel Fisher

This case is used to explore the strategic concept of "look forward, reason back." Roku in 2021 is trying to figure out the future of television and streaming media. Students are asked to provide a vision for television and streaming media (that is, Look Forward) by... View Details

Keywords: Television Entertainment; Forecasting and Prediction; Decision Choices and Conditions; Strategy; Strategic Planning; Media and Broadcasting Industry

24 Mar 2015
First Look

First Look: March 24

investigating the workings of both the sell and buy sides of financial analysis, tackles how the U.S. securities industry research adds value in financial markets, and... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

July 2006
Background Note

Out of Frame: The Coming Digital Disruption of Hollywood

By: Stephen P. Bradley, Brian DeLacey and Reed Martin

The record opening of the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, starring Johnny Depp, had finally provided the industry with incontrovertible proof that it was still possible to draw massive audiences to movie theaters. Grossing $136 million during its opening... View Details

Keywords: Disruption; Internet and the Web; Technology Adoption; Mobile and Wireless Technology; Film Entertainment; Revenue; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States

May 2004 (Revised March 2005)
Case

Music Downloads

By: David B. Yoffie and Deborah Freier

Examines the competition between competing music formats. In the '90s, the MP3 format challenged the traditional means of music distribution by allowing for storage of near CD-quality recordings at 1/10th of their previous size. The threat to traditional distribution... View Details

Keywords: Disruption; Music Entertainment; Legal Liability; Distribution; Competition; Internet and the Web; Technology Adoption; Information Infrastructure; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry