Posted on 08/11/2023 6:39:15 AM PDT by Red Badger
Too bad.....
*yawn*.
I’m certainly no expert, but the more I learn, the more I have come to think that the core structural problem is vertical integration, which the streamers are now using to cartelize the whole industry.
This is not the first time the film industry has faced this problem. In the 1930’s and 40’s, the major studios owned the big theater chains — the only available distribution system at the time —and colluded in predatory tactics to marginalize independent theaters and studios. They also signed most of the top actors to exclusive contracts. That was a very complicated situation, with the indies of the day — who banded together as United Artists to fight the good fight against the cartel — leading the charge for fair market access.
That fight was already joined in the 1930’s, but FDR (naturally) sided with the cartel. FDR was not the first fascist president — that was probably Woodrow Wilson — but FDR was on the wrong side of most such issues. But the fight continued. The Supreme Court finally did the necessary thing in 1948 in U.S. vs. Paramount and ruled against predatory practices. The rearguard actions lingered into the 1950’s, but the studios eventually divested the theaters. With distribution opened up, the studio/producer cartel was weakened, smaller studios got a foothold, and in the process, actors got free agency.
What goes around comes around. The streamers have become the new cartel. Instead of a producer/studio cartel, we are developing a distributor cartel. It is crushing the indies and squeezing actors and writers on both upfront pay and residuals. Maybe antitrust action and divestiture is part of the answer. Perhaps the big tech companies that own the streaming platforms shouldn’t be allowed to own the studios. The streaming experiment is now old enough to have demonstrated that the tech companies are lousy at making movies.
Best news all day.
SnowWhatEver and The Village People.
Could it be that millions of people, in these days of rampant Bidenomics, realize that their money is better spent on food?
Good old Teddy Roosevelt had some beliefs that could be considered fascist...Woodrow took them further.
I agree.
When the international community catches on to the ‘groomer’ bit, they’ll stop supporting Disney too. We’re NOT the only people who love our children.
Maybe their animated show “The Adventures of Sodomyman” did not go over very well.
Raise prices and lose more customers. Sorta like democrat government tax policies: raise taxes and lose more revenue.
The answer is obvious that prices need to be hiked even more including the CEO’s pay which we all know is inadequate......
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