How Much Will TV Shows Matter?

[yourlibrarian]

There was a recent article in the Hollywood Reporter about how movies are the lifeblood of streaming services. Though I find this disappointing, I don't find it surprising. Movies are (often) a one-shot sort of story, quick to get through, and usually getting a lot of expensive publicity before their release date, thus raising awareness in a big part of the potential viewing public. And people rewatch a good bit because, again, it's short and doesn't require a big commitment.

The other two reasons are, I think, more recent in nature. One is that movie attendance has been declining for some time, but I never thought this was because people were less interested in them. It's just that it's expensive and inconvenient to go see them away from home. I mean, HBO was created in 1972 primarily as a home movie viewing option, as well as for some sports, which was also entertainment you had to go out for. And people were so interested in being able to watch movies (I won't even say "recent' because the theatrical run used to be pretty long), not even on demand, but on a convenient schedule, that HBO was a viable business for decades even as video rental became common. I'd add that it was common that, whether or not a hotel had cable, HBO was almost expected to be available as well.

But these numbers seem to indicate something besides the eternal popularity of movies and increasing desire to skip the theater and see them at home: ( Read more... )