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Arts/Media

What the Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Means for Streaming

Paramount won the bidding war for Warner Bros. But media analyst Michael Nathanson ’90 says the combined company will face heavy debt and a shrinking cable business—as well as the pitfalls that have doomed previous media mergers.

A Paramount water tower between a green traffic light and a red traffic light
  • Museum and Community: Connecting with a Diverse City

    The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is one of the largest museums in the United States; it is also a local institution in the second-most-diverse large city in the country. Bradley Bailey ’10, the museum’s curator of Asian art, explains how the museum collaborates with immigrant communities to expand the understanding of Asian art.

    A sculpture hanging in the Museom of Fine Arts, Houston
  • Collection No. 10

    The Business Behind the Arts

    Every cultural institution has a mission that goes beyond the bottom line—enriching a community, preserving human achievement, delivering joy. But that mission also depends on business considerations—assembling financial and human capital, connecting with customers, considering long-term sustainability. We talked with leaders in the arts about the large and small strategic choices that their institutions must make to survive and succeed.‌

    An illustration of a businessperson showing information to Rodin's "The Thinker"
  • ​​​​​​​When People Turn On the TV, Are They Actually Watching?‌‌

    A study of baseball telecasts co-authored by Yale SOM’s Kosuke Uetake suggests that relatively few viewers actively look at the screen. Viewers perk up during suspenseful moments, suggesting that changes to advertising or even the structure of baseball games could make ads more effective.‌

    Baseball playing on TVs in an electronics store in Japan
  • Do Oscar Wins Pay Off?‌‌

    We asked Prof. Abraham Ravid, who studies the economics of the film business, to break down the financial stakes of Hollywood’s biggest night. ‌‌

    A huge Oscar statuette looms over the presentation of the Best Picture Oscar for Oppenheimer during the 96th Annual Academy Awards on March 10, 2024.
  • Why Do Museums Matter?‌

    Daniel Weiss ’85, former president and CEO of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, discusses the distinctive joys and challenges of leading mission-driven organizations.‌

    Daniel Weiss, president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, speaking in the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden in 2017.
  • Streaming Seeks a Path to Profitability

    Only Netflix and Disney turn a profit from streaming. Media analyst Michael Nathanson ’90 says that streamers are turning to bundles, ads, and password crackdowns to survive the disruption and consolidation hitting the industry.

    Directional signs with logos for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+.
  • Shining a Light into the Black Box of the Art Market

    The opacity of the art market benefits a tiny elite of collectors, gallerists, and artists, says Yale SOM's Magnus Resch, but makes it harder for most artists and art lovers to connect.

    Andy Warhol’s Muhammad Ali is auctioned at Christie’s in 2007.
  • The Dominion Settlement Is Just the Beginning of Fox’s Nightmare

    Yale SOM’s Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Steven Tian write that the historic settlement and the revelations that preceded it have left Fox Corporation damaged and vulnerable to additional litigation.

    A sign reading "How do you Fox News?"
  • Did Ticketmaster’s Market Dominance Fuel the Chaos for Swifties?

    Taylor Swift fans scrambling for concert tickets faced endless queues and crashes on the Ticketmaster website. Yale SOM economist Florian Ederer explains the antitrust issues at play and the tradeoffs inherent in satisfying overwhelming demand.

    Taylor Swift performs at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2019.
  • The Reckonings Facing the Theater

    The challenges of the last several years, including the upheaval of COVID-19 and the anti-racism movement that followed George Floyd’s murder, have had profound consequences for American theater. In a recent conversation with Yale SOM, three Yale alumni in the industry offered their perspectives on what comes next.

    Audience members wearing masks in a theater.