Publications

Article

The U.S. Cable Television Industry, 1948-1995: Managerial Capitalism in Eclipse

By: T. R. Eisenmann

Keywords: Management Systems; Television Entertainment; Media and Broadcasting Industry; United States

August 1998 (Revised October 1998)
Case

Disney's "The Lion King" (B): The Synergy Group

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

In the late 1980s, Disney CEO Michael Eisner introduced a synergy group to the company's organizational structure. The synergy group was responsible for keeping all of Disney's divisions informed and updated on company projects and marketing strategies. View Details

Keywords: Entertainment; Creativity; Value; Organizational Structure; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

April 2001 (Revised August 2002)
Case

Frasier (B)

By: Guhan Subramanian and Michelle Kalka

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; Television Entertainment; Media and Broadcasting Industry

May 2017 (Revised November 2019)
Case

The Dubai International Film Festival

By: Rohit Deshpandé and Alpana Thapar

This case follows the conception and emergence of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). In an already crowded and highly competitive industry, Abdulhamid Juma was attempting to define and establish a unique brand positioning for DIFF. Committed to its vision,... View Details

Keywords: Brand Positioning; Underdog Brand Building; Business Models; Non-profit; Managing Multiple Stakeholders; Film Entertainment; Brands and Branding; Business Model; Competitive Strategy; Decision Making; Growth and Development Strategy; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

July 2004 (Revised July 2005)
Case

Activision: The 'Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer' Project

By: Alan D. MacCormack, Enrico D"Angelo and Kerry Herman

Mike Ward, the producer in charge of developing the Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer game for Activision, must decide whether to launch the game in time for the 2002 Christmas season. Complicating his decision are the lukewarm response from consumers to TV test spots of the... View Details

Keywords: Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Product Development; Customer Satisfaction; Projects; Business or Company Management; Product Launch; Marketing Strategy; Decision Choices and Conditions; Industry Structures; Innovation Strategy; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States

21 May 2021
News

See Us Unite for Change

Courtesy Sheila Lirio Marcelo In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) month, MTV’s Entertainment brands are streaming a global television special, “See Us Unite for Change,” on May 21. Hosted by comedian Ken Jeong, the... View Details

Keywords: Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries; Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries

19 Feb 2008
News

The Scoop Behind the Silver Screen

A bit of Hollywood came to HBS recently when Steven Samuels spoke at the invitation of the School’s Entertainment and Media Club. A former real estate developer, Samuels is an independent movie producer with a solid body of work under his... View Details

Keywords: Arts, Entertainment; Arts, Entertainment; Arts, Entertainment; Arts, Entertainment

Fast Answer

Gaming: statistics

Where can I find information on gaming hardware and software? The Entertainment Software Association website lists sales, demographic, and usage data, as well as information intended to improve the image of the industry. Search eMarketer... View Details

March 2021
Supplement

Sky Deutschland Analysis: Results

By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee, Sascha L. Schmidt, Renate Imoberdorf and Sebastian Koppers

Carsten Schmidt, CEO of Sky Deutschland, needs to prepare for the auction of German soccer rights. Much was at stake. Not only was soccer the most widely watched sport in Germany, the company had long advertised that only Sky showed “every game, every goal.” In... View Details

Keywords: Sports; Entertainment; Television Entertainment; Intellectual Property; Auctions; Bids and Bidding; Sports Industry; Sports Industry; Germany

September 1994 (Revised January 1997)
Case

This Case Sucks: Beavis, Butt-head, and TV Content (A)

By: Joseph L. Badaracco Jr. and Jerry Useem

Beginning in 1992, "Beavis and Butt-head," an animated series on MTV about two uncivilized teenaged misfits, became both a runaway popular sensation and the symbol of a heated national debate about violent and inappropriate programming on television. Especially after... View Details

Keywords: Debates; Decision Choices and Conditions; Animation Entertainment; Fairness; Governance Controls; Media; Outcome or Result; Social Issues; Entertainment and Recreation Industry

May 1993 (Revised June 1993)
Case

ABC Company

By: Regina E. Herzlinger

Keywords: Television Entertainment; Media; Media and Broadcasting Industry

August 2013
Supplement

Lyric Dinner Theater (Video Supplement)

By: Jim Sharpe

Keywords: Turnarounds; Operations; Boards Of Directors; Family-owned Business; Hiring; Entrepreneurship; Family and Family Relationships; Family Business; Family Ownership; Entertainment; Negotiation; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Saint Louis

19 Jul 2007
Research & Ideas

Podcast: Rupert Murdoch and the Wall Street Journal

done extensive research in the media and entertainment fields. In this podcast, Anand examines not only the proposed Dow Jones deal but also the state of the newspaper industry in general. To listen to this... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Aisner; Journalism & News; Publishing

August 2023
Case

Salma Qarnain: Spaceships to Broadway

By: Leslie Perlow, Mel Martin and Hannah Weisman

Salma Qarnain, daughter of Pakistani Muslim immigrants, is an engineer trained at Stanford and MIT. She began her career building spacecrafts but 30 years later finds herself pursuing her calling, acting on Broadway. The case explores Qarnain’s career path, family... View Details

Keywords: Personal Development and Career; Job Search; Job Design and Levels; Happiness; Identity; Well-being; Work-Life Balance; Family and Family Relationships; Theater Entertainment; Film Entertainment; Talent and Talent Management; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; United States; New York (city, NY); Boston; California

February 1999 (Revised November 2009)
Case

Michael Brown: Negotiating Slots at Foxwoods (A)

By: James K. Sebenius

The issues of the impending negotiation between the CEO of Foxwoods and the governor of Connecticut over lifting the ban on slot machines at Foxwoods are presented. Reviews the gaming business in the United States, the special history of Indian gaming, the Pequot... View Details

Keywords: Financial Crisis; Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Policy; Negotiation Deal; Business and Government Relations; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Connecticut

February 1999 (Revised August 1999)
Case

Michael Brown: Negotiating Slots at Foxwoods (B)

By: James K. Sebenius

The approach taken by Michael Brown and Governor Lowell Weicker and the means by which the agreement's sustainability was enhanced in the face of attacks by other gaming operators are detailed. View Details

Keywords: Games, Gaming, and Gambling; Agreements and Arrangements; Government and Politics; Entertainment and Recreation Industry; Connecticut

March 1998 (Revised August 1998)
Case

BSkyB

By: Debora L. Spar

In 1983, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. bought a floundering two-year-old British company called Satellite Television plc. and renamed it Sky. Without external financing, without having been allocated any space on Britain's existing satellites, and over the opposition of... View Details

Keywords: Information Technology; Change Management; Television Entertainment; Media and Broadcasting Industry; Great Britain