Business as Unusual: Conglomerate-Sized Challenges for Film and Television in the Digital Arena

Abstract

This article examines the diverse strategies that the film and television divisions of media conglomerates have employed in circulating their properties online. The author shows how historical relationships as well as long-standing business practices tied to both theatrical motion pictures and prime-time television series have affected decisions about what, where, when, and how content is offered on the Internet. Comparing the Internet-related activities of these different divisions sheds light on the distinct challenges each medium faces in the online realm and also points to the complex nature of the responses of contemporary media conglomerates to new technologies.