To what extent does digital distribution affect the marketing and consumption of media products in the media area you have studied?

To what extent does digital distribution affect the marketing and consumption of media products in the media area you have studied?

Basically how are films marketed and watched

Distribution-

1. cinema-films sent digitally
2. digital Streaming- Netflix etc
3. digitally bought-iTunes

Marketing-

1. Youtube
2. VoD shows, 4od- made to watch adverts
3. adverts for films before cinema screenings-digitally sent

Field in England- digital distribution- day and date release

Marketing and distribution-

1. 57% of under 35s said they heard about the film through social media
2. digital TV 367,000 views on film 4
3. film 4od accounted for 30% of viewings on the opening weekend

All cinemas apart from the independent picturehouse cinemas boycotted

Therefore the film was consumed completely digitally over the opening weekend  but the ability to distribute films digitally to the home could be seen to have effected cinemas

Prometheus-

Distributed in 3D, 2D and iMax which lead to a pre-sale of 8,827 tickets

It was distributed to 514 screens in the UK and 3,396 screens in the USA, this can only be achieved because the files are sent digitally

Therefore digital distribution has effected the profits of the film massively, opening weekend £6,234,812, $51,050,101

 

Stranger by the lake- Released on VOD and cinemas at the same time

 

 

 

 

Terminology to include-

Technological convergence- people have digital devices that can stream films- companies make them available for digital distribution

Targeted advertising- online searches influence what adverts you get online

Exhibition- showing films

 

 

Films can be marketed digitally through the internet on sites such as Facebook, youtube and twitter. This has revolutionised the way films can be advertised and therefore massively influenced the profit they can make. Now days almost every method of distribution is digital from cinema screenings to digital streaming this affects the profit of cinemas but, by making it easier for consumers to see their content, means more sales for film companies.

An example of digital distribution being utilised for marketing and distribution is the 2014 Film4 film A field in England. A Field in England was distributed as a day and date release through 17 independent cinemas, film 4, film 4od and other VoD rentals such as iTunes. In addition to this it was marketed through the popular social network Twitter. As this is online it is digital and proved to be a successful method of marketing as in a survey it was found that 57% of under 35 year olds heard about the film through social media. Due to new ways of digitally consuming films through the internet the VOD rentals where above what was expected, 2,000 rentals, and mostly through iTunes. Because the film was more accessible it encouraged more people to watch it that wouldn’t have made the effort to watch it at the cinema increasing sales in general.

Nearly all films are digitally sent and screened in cinemas now, this is a faster method. It also means the film can be sent to any cinema with internet connection in seconds, meaning it can be distributed more widely. This meant Prometheus could be sent to cinemas in 3D, 2D and imax. This range of viewing options due to the digital distribution of the films contributed to 8,827 resale tickets as customers wanted to ensure they could see it in 3D or imax. In addition to this the easier digital way of distributing made it possible for the film to be screened in 514 screens in the UK and 3,396 screens in the USA, allowing the film to make a massive total of £6,234,812 and $51,050,101 on its opening weekend; a sum that wouldn’t have been possible through any other method of distribution than digital.

The independant BFI-funded film Stranger On The Lake was released as a day and date release: on VOD and in cinemas at the same time for example at first Cineworld agreed to show the film as a one off special screening but then decided to boycott the film as it broke the established 17week window between cinema release and VOD This type of release prompted many cinemas to boycott the film as they are aware with technological convergence it is all to easy for most people to view the film on their tablets, phones etc rather than seeing it in the cinemas. Cinemas in general are threatened by this new method of digital distribution as it poses the question who would pay to see the film in cinemas when they can watch it at home on their multi-media device?

Digital distribution has affected the marketing and consumption of films in almost every aspect to the extent it is hard to think of a recent film that is not digitally distributed. This is a negative for cinemas as it reduces the amount of people paying them to watch the film but a positive for production companies as more people are willing to pay for films in the home than make the effort to pay for them in general, increasing sales.