Media ownership has a great impact on the range of products available to audiences in the film industry. Major media conglomerates like Warner Bros. and Disney, which own film studios as well as distribution networks and theaters, can produce and widely distribute a large number of films. They have the financial resources to invest in high-budget blockbusters and market them extensively across their various platforms. In contrast, small independent film companies have to arrange deals for funding, distribution, and promotion, limiting the number of films they can produce and targeting niche audiences with lower budgets. The dominance of large conglomerates means the film industry is heavily shaped by Hollywood blockbusters distributed on a wide scale.

1. What impact does media ownership
have on the range of products
available to audiences in the film
industry?

2. • Address the issue in the first sentence – has a great impact etc etc
• What is ownership? Controlling a media company or a range of media
companies
• E.g. Warner Brothers – vertically and horizontally integrated company –
Warner Bros Entertainment calls itself a fully integrated broad based
entertainment company which owns film studios and the means to
distribute the films as well as some of the cinemas in which they are
shown. Warner Bros in itself is part of an even bigger conglomerate
called Time Warner which is a huge media conglomerate institution
which uses horizontal Integration to consolidate its power and profits.
• Time Warner Inc. is a leading media and entertainment company,
whose businesses include interactive services, cable systems, filmed
entertainment, television networks and publishing.
• ‘Whether measured by quality, popularity or financial results, our
divisions are at the top of their categories. AOL, Time Inc., Time Warner
Cable, Home Box Office, New Line...

3. • Give some examples of the other interests they
have – i.e. other companies – you could talk about
the advantages of their ownership of DC Comics
here.
• Many different parts of their company with
potential to make money – possible for an
expensive film to fail. You should switch examples
here and talk about Disney and all the different
parts it has to the business (budget and box office
figures for The Lone Ranger) because other films
are so successful (box office figures for Avengers)
and because of all its other successful business
interests.

4. • Contrast with small independent film company
which has to arrange a network of deals to
secure funding and distribution whether in
local or foreign territories – Warp – cannot
afford to own all stages of the film-making
process.
• No financial input from major studios = less
expendable money, therefore make fewer
products which are often aimed at a niche
audience. Contrast budgets of Tyrannosaur and
Dark Knight Rises

5. • Conglomerates have the financial clout and the
commercial infrasctructure for cross media convergence
– explain what this is – and can afford a larger
advertising/marketing campaign. Remember, the average
Hollywood film costs over $50 million and half of that is
spent on the marketing budget – now how much would
that mean Warners could spend marketing The Dark
Knight Rises?
• Give some examples of how The Dark Knight Rises was
marketed. Explain that you’re giving only SOME examples
– talk about the use of different websites (which they
would have access to being part of Time Warner AOL),
the use of viral marketing (give one example), synergy
(like DC producing comics/graphic novels), promotional
partner deals (like Nissan Juke) – and check to see if the
soundtrack came out on Warner Brothers Records – if so,
this is another example of synergy.

6. • Big media conglomerates can also produce franchises
(like Fox (?) with Star Wars, Disney with the Marvel
Universe films and Warner Brothers with the DC Comics
films – so, effectively, one promotes another/creates
anticipation for the next.
• How was Tyrannosaur marketed? Synergy
• Tyrannosaur might not be the best example of a smaller
independent film when it comes to synergy, but others
have had more success with things like soundtracks, like
Slumdog Millionaire and The Full Monty – but these will
be the result of deals, because the companies don’t
own a company that makes and releases music in the
way that a major conglomerate like Warner Brothers,
Disney or Sony/Columbia – and the better the budget,
the more synergy and the more promotional partners

7. • The big conglomerates can practise cross media convergence and dominate
the market – can deliver and distribute their products on more than on
platform.
• E.g. Sony – large conglomerate – own Sony Pictures International who
distributed Skyfall – cinemas, but also NOWTV, iTunes, Netflix
• In Britain, the film industry is dominated by Hollywood industrial cinema -
the Big Six (explain who they are)
• The set the digital agenda – explain – and explain the negative effect on
independent cinemas
• Explain how they dominate the market in terms of release time
• How saturation release stifles the growth of alternative independent
cinema
• How American (or Anglo/American) films made – or partly made in the UK
can qualify for UK tax breaks at a time when finance is precious and should
arguably be used on local product
• What are the effects on the UK film-making sector?
• How they set expectations/anticipations for the audience sometimes to the
detriment of them experiencing other kinds of cinema – i.e. they want
more big budget US (or Anglo/US, like the Bond and Harry Potter) films and
want to see them on IMAX screens and/or in 3D.