TV And Film Industry Essay

To what extent has the internet changed the TV and film industry?

The use of the internet has had huge, negative effects on the film and television
industry; as well as some positives.
Firstly, the audiences have benefited drastically from the use of the internet. The public are now able to use websites, such as Netflix, to stream a range of films and TV series. Netflix is one business who looks at the internet positively. It is an on-demand streaming service which lets you watch television and films instantly, on tablets, game consoles, phones, pcs and laptops. It is only £5.99 per month to subscribe to unlimited viewing from their personal libraries. This is much cheaper for the audience, as it saves them money buying DVD’s. A free month trial is also available, which can be cancelled at any time with no cancellation fee.

Due to Netflix’s success, they were able to fund their own television series ‘House of Cards’; which is an adaptation of BBC’s miniseries and Michael Dobbs’ novel. It premiered on the 1^st February 2013, and is already undergoing the second series. The internet has had a huge influence on the series and allows all the episodes in a series to air at once. This means that the audience do not have to wait for a weekly episode and can watch a series a lot faster.

The audience are also able to download films and television series’ for free, as well as through iTunes. This allows us to watch an array of films from the comfort of our own homes, as well as being in control of the film instead of the producers. This appeals to most of the audiences as it is also a lot cheaper for a family than a trip to the cinema.

The use of the internet also has a few positive effects on the industry. It allows independent film companies to promote their films with a lot less hassle, and for cheaper than in the past. Film and television companies are now able to promote their sites to a vast audience through the internet; websites are created, as well as advertisements being shown on video sites such as YouTube.

However, the internet has also had many negative consequences on the film and television industry. Although the use of illegal downloading benefits the audience, it causes a lot of harm to the industry itself. It results in a cinema decline and a struggle with ticket sales, forcing cinemas to increase their prices. Illegal downloading also benefits criminals, as it allows them to make a profit from counterfeit copies, as they sell them for cheaper than the price of cinema tickets. This is clear as Les Miserables and Django Unchained, which were both released in 2013, are already available for download on many torrent websites across the internet such as Vuze.

Websites, such as Amazon and Netflix, have also caused a lot of change within the industry. The internet enables their distribution and sales. It is a clear example of Chris Anderson’ Long Tail theory, which was started in 2006.  It is a way to describe the effect the internet has had on more well known businesses. Places similar to Amazon are able to ell products in low demand through the internet. They use warehouses, so they are able to sell more as they don’t have a specific capacity on what they can hold in store. This means they don’t have to focus on selling just best sellers, meaning they receive more sales from the less popular items in the media.

However this means the internet threatens established businesses like HMV and Blockbuster. They are only able to sell popular products in store due to the cost of storage; therefore they lose a large group of buyers. As a consequence both businesses have recently gone into administration. This is due to the increase in downloads and the use of websites such as Amazon, Netflix and 4od.

HMV opened in 1921, but has recently been struggling against online retailing, downloads and supermarkets. The owners bought Waterstones in 1998, but unfortunately had to sell last year due to the debts and financial crisis. The business only managed to keep 239 stores open across the UK, closing many and introducing a month long 25% off sale due to bad Christmas sales.

Blockbuster is another established business which felt the consequences due to the internet. It opened in 1989 and had 528 stores but had to close more than 100 in the past few years. After administration, they decided to keep the website open as the internet is a huge part of a business, and the website is sending out more DVD’s than any other DVD rental service in the UK.