Showbiz Sandbox 656: Yes, People Still Buy Books
April 30, 2024 · Leave a Comment
Two recent opinion pieces stirred up some heated debate in the book publishing business. One insists no one buys books anymore. The other says the proliferation of book roundup lists is a bunch of nonsense. One is very wrong, even when it’s right. The other is right, but for the wrong reasons. Michael is our book guy and in fact does book roundups every week! So let’s put him on the hot seat.
Meanwhile, Nielsen recently overcame some technological hurdles and got cooperation from several new sources of streaming data. The result? A number of shows popped onto the streaming charts for the first time or with renewed force. The big beneficiary is Hulu, with Peacock a distant second.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assault conviction was overturned by a New York court, Taylor Swift’s latest album breaks all sorts of streaming records and an update on a potential acquisition of Paramount Global.
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Showbiz Sandbox 655: Netflix Stops Sweating (and Reporting) Subscriber Growth
April 23, 2024 · Leave a Comment
Netflix first quarter earnings report showed growth in all areas from subscribers, to revenue and income. But with Netflix clearly dominating competitors and entering a mature market, the streaming giant will no longer provide subscriber figures on a regular basis. Instead, Netflix will concentrate on profit and the amount of time each of their 270 […]
Showbiz Sandbox 654: CinemaCon Promotes A Bright Future for Movie Theatres
April 16, 2024 · Leave a Comment
CinemaCon, the annual gathering of cinema operators in Las Vegas, was filled with anxiety this year thanks to a lack of wide releases due to the recent labor strikes. However, most Hollywood studios showed up with a few movie stars to hawk an increasing number of big titles due later in the year and into […]
Showbiz Sandbox 653: Godzilla and Kong, Once Again, Prove Movie Theaters Aren’t Dead
April 2, 2024 · Comments Off on Showbiz Sandbox 653: Godzilla and Kong, Once Again, Prove Movie Theaters Aren’t Dead
The monstrous global box office opening of “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” may have been a surprise to film critics or anyone paying attention to industry tracking in advance of its release, but it surely proves that if you put movies in movie theaters, audiences will show up. Especially if those theaters offer premium […]
Showbiz Sandbox 652: Comscore, Nielsen and the Battle Over TV Ratings
March 26, 2024 · Comments Off on Showbiz Sandbox 652: Comscore, Nielsen and the Battle Over TV Ratings
The way audiences watch television has changed radically over the past ten years, bet it when, where or how. Nielsen, long the king of TV ratings, is facing competition from upstarts like Comscore. With viewership on mobile and over-the-top devices not always being measured, advertisers are beginning to include social media awareness into account when […]
Showbiz Sandbox 651: The Next Hit Song May Be Written and Performed by AI
March 18, 2024 · Comments Off on Showbiz Sandbox 651: The Next Hit Song May Be Written and Performed by AI
In what Rolling Stone magazine has dubbed ChatGPT for music, a new service called Suno is trying to democratic music by using artificial intelligence to allow anyone to create a hit song. With no need to learn how to play an instrument or sing, the latest advances in generative AI are creating tunes with a […]
About Showbiz Sandbox
Showbiz Sandbox is a podcast featuring industry professionals J. Sperling Reich, Karen Woodward and Michael Giltz's humorous viewpoints, insightful analysis and insider opinions on the latest entertainment news headlines. The weekly podcast includes commentary, renown industry guests, as well as phone calls and emails from listeners who voice their own opinions on the child’s play of the entertainment business.
Send us news stories to cover at dirt@showbizsandbox.com or call us at 1-888-567-SAND (7263)
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Meet The Showbiz Sandbox Hosts
J. Sperling Reich has nearly 20 years of experience working in the entertainment industry. Besides covering show business as a journalist for numerous media outlets, Sperling is a highly regarded industry expert in cinema technology and new media. He works with some of the industry's leading motion picture exhibitors, studios and equipment manufacturers. [Read The Full Bio]
Karen Woodward is the ultimate Hollywood multi-hyphenate. After starting her career 15 years ago in the trenches of the William Morris Agency she has since worked in talent management, film-television production, promotions and advertising. Armed with a Master's Degree in Media Studies Karen presently helps dozens of today's top stars connect with their audience as one of the entertainment industry's leading social media consultants. [Read The Full Bio]
Michael Giltz is an award-winning freelance entertainment writer based in New York City. He covers all areas of the industry including movies, music, books, theater, TV and DVDs. Michael regularly contributes to the Huffington Post and the New York Daily News among many other international media outlets. [Read The Full Bio]