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2024 Reunion Presentations - Alumni

Media, and Sports Professor Anita Elberse No additional materials available + More Info – Less Info What does the future of entertainment look like? Fueled by advances in digital technology, will a select few superstars in media and... View Details

29 Jan 2013
Research & Ideas

Creating the Perfect Super Bowl Ad

question whether ads, including the over-the-top Super Bowl spots, have become too entertaining, says Thales S. Teixeira, an assistant professor in the Marketing unit at Harvard Business School. In upcoming research, Why, When and How Much to View Details

Keywords: by Kim Girard; Advertising; Media & Broadcasting

September 2013 (Revised August 2015)
Background Note

Leadership and Teaming

By: Ethan Bernstein

Small differences in the leadership of teams can have large consequences for the success of their efforts. Many initiatives fail not because of a fatal error in judgment or insufficient ideas, knowledge, motivation, or capabilities to deliver a solution. They fail... View Details

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October 2020
Case

John Branca: Negotiating the Beatles' Northern Songs Catalog (A)

By: James K. Sebenius and Alex Green

In 1985, pop music superstar Michael Jackson instructed his attorney, John Branca, to make a bid for the Northern Songs music catalog, which contained the songs of the Beatles. In a challenging negotiation with Australian media baron Robert Holmes à Court, Branca... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; Entertainment; Music Entertainment; Strategy; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States; United Kingdom

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Article

Hollywood on the Yellow Sea

By: Willy C. Shih and Henry McGee

Wang Jianlin, one of China's richest men, is creating a rival to the American dream factory, from scratch. View Details

Keywords: Competition; Film Entertainment; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; China; United States

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Read Now

01 Dec 2007
News

Hollywood Squared

In an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal (September 4, 2007), Sony Pictures Entertainment chairman and CEO Michael Lynton (MBA ’87) declared that from his perspective “the global economy in general — and the View Details

Keywords: Arts, Entertainment

August 1998 (Revised October 1998)
Case

Disney's "The Lion King" (C): Repeat Performance?

By: Jeffrey F. Rayport, Carin-Isabel Knoop and Cate Reavis

Three of Disney's animated films that followed "The Lion King"—"Pocahontas," "Toy Story," and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"—were significantly less successful at the box office and in retail sales. Meanwhile, Disney was focusing on developing live-action blockbusters. View Details

Keywords: Organizational Structure; Animation Entertainment; Success; Failure; Film Entertainment; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

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01 Jun 2003
News

Portraits from the Class of 2003

First Film: Open Invitation, half–hour dark comedy Previous Job: managed brand franchises for Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati and Toronto AT P&G: spearheaded relationship with UNICEF to donate tuberculosis vaccines Copresident: HBS View Details

Keywords: Arts, Entertainment

Profile

Annora Wang

after I left, entertainment remained in the back of my mind. How did HBS influence your ambitions? When I applied to HBS, I knew I wanted to go into general management, and I knew that I wanted to go into a consumer-facing industry. I... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment / Media

January 1996 (Revised January 1996)
Teaching Note

Colonial Broadcasting Co. TN

By: Arthur Schleifer Jr. and George Wu

Teaching Note for (9-894-011). View Details

Keywords: Contracts; Advertising; Television Entertainment; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States

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12 Oct 2017
Cold Call Podcast

Telemundo: The Fastest Growing TV Network in the United States

Keywords: Re: Henry W. McGee; Entertainment & Recreation; Entertainment & Recreation

October 2012
Case

Lin TV Corp

By: David Scharfstein, Erik Stafford and Joel Heilprin

This case considers the valuation of Lin TV, a publicly-traded company with 30 TV stations. The case highlights how a change in operating strategy can enhance the firm's value, and considers the effect of consolidation within the industry on firm value. View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Acquisitions; Synergy; Broadcasting; Entertainment; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; North and Central America

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14 Oct 2013
Research & Ideas

Blockbuster! Why Star Power Works

quite risky—a few blockbuster flops can bring a company to ruin—the strategy is the best bet for entertainment companies to succeed over the long run, according to Anita Elberse, the Lincoln Filene Professor of Business Administration at... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne; Entertainment & Recreation

November 1995 (Revised March 2000)
Case

Jurassic Park

By: John A. Quelch

Managers at MCA/Universal Merchandising are reviewing worldwide merchandising and licensing arrangements for the movie Jurassic Park. View Details

Keywords: Commercialization; Globalization; Film Entertainment; Brands and Branding; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

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27 Oct 2015
Blog Post

Alumni: Where Are They Now? Featuring Claire Friedman...

Current Position: COO and Executive in Charge of Lip Sync Battle Franchise, Casey Patterson Entertainment Current Location: New York/Los Angeles Tell us what you're up to these days. Right after graduation, I packed my bags and moved out... View Details

Keywords: Entertainment / Media / Sports

December 1994
Case

Being There: Sony Corporation and Columbia Pictures

By: Debora L. Spar

In September 1989, Sony Corp. of Japan bid $3.4 billion for Columbia Pictures. It was the highest bid ever by a Japanese company for any U.S. property. The case examines the validity of Sony's objectives in making this purchase, and also the political uproar that the... View Details

Keywords: Foreign Direct Investment; Film Entertainment; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Japan; United States

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Find at Harvard

October 2019 (Revised December 2019)
Case

Swizz Beatz

By: Boris Groysberg, Annelena Lobb and Sarah Mehta

This case explores the life and career of rapper and music producer Swizz Beatz. Set in 2019, it covers the evolution of Swizz’s musical career and his new venture into the commercial art market. View Details

Keywords: Entertainment; Music Entertainment; Television Entertainment; Entrepreneurship; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States

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February 2004 (Revised September 2006)
Case

Finding a Response: Pixar and a Coy Story

Pixar, Inc. is the subject of an article that suggests its share price is currently overvalued. The article is picked up in summary by several wire services. Pixar's management must determine the appropriate public response. Its choices range from ignoring the article,... View Details

Keywords: Media; Animation Entertainment; Decision Making; Film Entertainment; Communication Strategy; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

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March 2008 (Revised September 2008)
Case

FREEJ

By: Joseph B. Lassiter III and Firas Alkhatib

Mohammed Harib placed his phone on the desk in front of him. As he sat back in his chair and looked out the window, he began to take stock of how his life had taken such a dramatic path over the last few years. Life was good for the founder and CEO of Lammtara... View Details

Keywords: Animation Entertainment; Entrepreneurship; Emerging Markets; Opportunities; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Arabian Peninsula; United Arab Emirates

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March 2002 (Revised July 2002)
Case

TiVo in 2002: Consumer Behavior

Brodie Keast is anxious to understand the sharp contrast between the inertia of prospects and the deep emotional response shown by converted users of TiVo. After an overview of the company's situation and problems, the case focuses on different kinds of data (sales... View Details

Keywords: Consumer Behavior; Television Entertainment; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

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