Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy Newsletter! My favorite reads, listens, socials and more to keep you informed on the business of entertainment, with the links to my recent writings.
This month I’m breaking my “every two weeks” newsletter schedule to catch up from my December break. My last newsletter featured my writing and favorite reads from the end of December. This issue features my January writing along with the best reads so far this month. If this month has a theme, it’s “Who won streaming?”
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The Best of the Entertainment Strategy Guy
“‘The Mandalorian’ vs. ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ vs. ‘Soul’ vs. ‘Bridgerton’: Who Won December 2020?” at Decider
Christmas Day/weekend is now one of the most important times of years for the streamers. It’s the last chance before quarterly earnings to grow subscribers and all the streamers now drop big films and shows on Christmas. I won’t spoil the winner—click to find out!—but this was a fiercely competitive race between the two big tent pole films, Soul and Wonder Woman 1984.
“The Christmas Chronicles Was Netflix’s Most Watched Film in the US in 2020 and Other Data Thoughts from “Who Won December” and at my website
Consider this article the “DVD extras” from my Decider piece, with all the extra thoughts I wanted to publish that didn’t fit in the original. In it, I explain why and how I use IMDb data, whether or not Netflix beat Disney on volume, and some other contenders who were cut for space from my Decider article. And more!
“‘What Was The Biggest Streaming Movie of 2020?” And “What Was The Biggest Streaming Show of 2020?” at Decider
Given that I published four “who won the month” articles for Decider in 2020, it only made sense to finish off the year with a look at who won it all. Since my first article, I’ve expanded my arsenal of tools to include Nielsen hours consumed, IMDb ratings, Netflix datecotes, and more. These two articles look at it all and tell a little history of 2020.
“Has Netflix Lost Ground Since the Pandemic? Using Reelgood’s Share of Streaming Data to Find Out - Visual of the Week” at my website.
My visual of the week was a simple one using Reelgood’s quarterly streaming report to make this neat chart:
“Did Netflix Have a Strong Q4 For Content? And Other Thoughts Before Netflix’s Earnings Report” at my website.
Going into Netflix’s earnings report, I didn’t have a central thesis, so ended up providing a list of thoughts on Netflix’s Q4 content. Overall, their content in Q4 was definitely more popular than Q2 or Q3, which I was roughly right on. However, it remains tough guessing which films and series will get the datecdote treatment, which I (unsuccessfully) tried to predict.
“Is Streaming Winner Take All? My Question of the Year for 2021” at my website
I don’t love the idea of predicting what will happen in a given year. 2020 should have taught us that. However, I do love the idea of asking about the most important question for the future. Looking to 2021, I think I found my question. Check out this column to find out why “Is Streaming Winner Take All” is such an important query. That plus thoughts on Apple TV+’s big January, Roku acquiring Quibi’s library, and other key questions for 2021.
“What the Democratic Wins in the Senate Mean for Hollywood - Most Important Story of the Week” at my website
Democrats wresting control of the Senate from Republicans by the slimmest of margins will have big impacts on American society, but what impact, if any, will they have on Hollywood? I try to answer that in this column while also looking at Univision planning on a new streamer, AT&T shutting AT&T Now, Disney cancelling annual passes and more!
Twitter Threads
Like usual, I dove deep into Netflix’s annual earnings report. First, on content.
And then on financials and subscribers.
The Best Content of the Last Two Weeks
These are the best reads, listens, newsletters, or social conversations I came across last week.
Long Read of the Week - “Underoath Made VERY Good Money on Those Summer Livestreams” at Metal Sucks by Vince Neilstein
I’m skeptical that Covid-19 has destroyed live concerts or festivals permanently. If anything, I think pent up demand will send prices soaring whenever lockdown ends. Moreover, I was skeptical that livestreams could replace live concerts in terms of revenue for bands and artists. (Trading physical dollars for digital pennies, and what not.) This article has shaken that conviction. Live-streaming concerts won’t work for every band, but if done right, there is an upside. This is a good read for some actual numbers.
Other Long Read - “Hollywood’s Big Streaming Pivot Will Be Costly for Indie Films (Guest Column)” by Ted Mundorff at THR
This is a good read for the details on independent film releases. Mundorff describes how independent (or smaller budget) films actually are distributed in the modern day and age and why theaters are so crucial. Given their reliance on longer theatrical runs, dropping that window will make it even harder for indie films to survive.
Non-Entertainment Read - “The Rise and Fall of Getting Things Done” by Cal Newport
If Newport publishes an article in the New Yorker, it will get a shout out by me just by default. In this case, Newport dives deep into the history of the book Getting Things Done and what that means for our current work environment. Specifically, how productivity became “personal”.
Socials
We had a few good socials from the last few weeks as well. First, The Netflix Film Project reflects on Netflix’s 2020:
Second, film analyst Juan Herbera reflects on Wonder Woman 1984 and what could have been.
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(If this email was forwarded to you, and you’re wondering who I am, The Entertainment Strategy Guy writes under this pseudonym at his eponymous website. A former exec at a streaming company, he prefers writing to sending emails/attending meetings, so he launched his own website. You can follow him on Twitter or Linked-In for regular thoughts and analysis on the business, strategy and economics of the media and entertainment industry.)