Data

Be Bold and Transform: Takeaways from the 2022 Alliance of American Museums Conference

Be Bold and Transform: Takeaways from the 2022 Alliance of American Museums Conference

The 2022 Alliance of American Museums’ conference in Boston offered bold and transformative ideas that all arts organizations need to understand as they re-create their operations and strategies for 2022 and beyond. Recognizing that “Normal is not the goal post” is the critical first step. A summary of highlights from my point of view might inspire you, or at least offer excellent conversation starters in your next meetings.

An Industry of Secrecy: Why Streaming Companies Hide Viewership Data

An Industry of Secrecy: Why Streaming Companies Hide Viewership Data

The entertainment industry in a post-pandemic and streamer-heavy world bears a sigil of secrecy. Viewership data for films and television shows on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, and other streaming services is highly monitored behind closed doors at these companies. Streaming consumption skyrocketed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as people around the world were forced to stay at home. During the same time, online TV/video consumption increased from 1.7 hours to 6.5 hour. The pandemic fast-tracked the world’s shift to streaming, as it became one of the only accessible entertainment platforms, forcing the general public to decide which streaming services to invest in, largely because of cost.

The Importance Of Audience Consumption Data In The Entertainment Industry

The Importance Of Audience Consumption Data In The Entertainment Industry

Since the 1980s, it has been industry practice to measure the number of viewers consuming films and television. These measures affect the industry in multiple ways, from advertising sales to cultivating future viewers, and often contribute to the project’s success. As streaming continues to pivot the entertainment industry, other services will begin to release viewership data in a similar fashion. This crucial step in releasing streaming viewership data has the potential to set a new dawn for streaming services: one where data and transparency lead the way into a more informed and impactful industry.

What the Arts Need to Know about Big Tech

What the Arts Need to Know about Big Tech

Upon broaching the subject of Big Tech, the consideration of arts organizations is often forgotten, and the focus is solely placed on Silicon Valley and the lucrative world within. But with the increased attention into the world of Big Tech (specifically Apple, Amazon, Alphabet [Google], and Meta [Facebook]) as a result of continual antitrust lawsuits, privacy violations, and the global struggle in creating effective policies to limit these companies’ powers, it is becoming more evident that the activities of Big Tech span across a variety of industries, the arts and nonprofit sector included. This article will provide an overview of the Big Tech monopoly over data and privacy through its cross-market domination and explain its effects on the nonprofit world.

Streaming Service Algorithms are Biased, Directly Affecting Content Development

Streaming Service Algorithms are Biased, Directly Affecting Content Development

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, 2020 was a big year for the entertainment industry. Many entertainment corporations reevaluated their approach to content distribution and accessibility for viewers. It is increasingly clear that streaming services will continue to exert evolutionary change on the entertainment industry. Regardless of the questions and problems posed about the algorithms used by streaming services, Netflix and other dominant platforms will continue to use them – and continue to work on optimizing the algorithm to eliminate at least the most egregious biases. It is up to the industry to hold itself accountable and ensure that the sanctity of the art of TV and film over the algorithm-based entertainment world.

Tools for Measuring Impact and Data Collection in the Arts: Part 1

Tools for Measuring Impact and Data Collection in the Arts: Part 1

Nonprofit arts and cultural organizations are designed to serve a community. In the 21st century funding model, they also must find ways to collect the evidence for the impact their work has on their constituents, analyze the data, and effectively tell their stories. The following research provides an understanding of what types of impact can be measured with suggestions on how to measure and visualize findings on a budget.

What Arts Organizations Can Learn From Sports: The NBA

What Arts Organizations Can Learn From Sports: The NBA

This week, AMT Lab has been investigating what lessons arts organizations can learn from sports as they seek to provide engaging digital experiences for audiences. The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the most prestigious and well-known basketball league in the world, making it imperative that they continue to engage their fans during the pandemic while securing revenue from broadcasts. They found solutions that would permit fans, specifically younger generations, to continue to interact with each other during the games—something that arts organizations could apply to their virtual performances.

What Arts Organizations Can Learn From Sports: La Liga

What Arts Organizations Can Learn From Sports: La Liga

As arts organizations look to provide digital experiences to engage audiences, there are lessons to be learned from sports leagues that have restarted seasons and successfully broadcast them to international audiences amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. One example is La Liga. The Spanish league most commonly known as La Liga is one of Europe’s top five soccer leagues. The 2019-2020 season kicked off on August 16, 2019 and was set to go until May 2020, but as the world—and Spain specifically—saw the rapid growth of Covid-19, the league was temporarily suspended. With the campaign entitled #BackToWin, it was the second major European league to resume, with no fans in the stadium and strict safety guidelines. To make the matches a marketable product from an entertainment standpoint, broadcasters experimented with AR “fans” and artificial crowd noise. A spike in La Liga’s international viewership reflects not only the fans’ desire for the return of live sports, but also the value of the product La Liga and its broadcasters were able to create. As sports—and the arts—look for ways to perform virtually, La Liga offers an example for how to do so successfully.

What Arts Organizations Can Learn From Sports in the New Normal

What Arts Organizations Can Learn From Sports in the New Normal

So why sports? Although the general perception of the sports industry focuses on teams and their players, the sports industry encompasses a vast number of stakeholders that affect the state of the industry. The industry is made up of a complex web of live sporting events, food stands, media rights, and brand sponsorships. Most importantly, as with the arts, fans and audiences play a key role when it comes to analyzing the state of the industry. Unlike the situation for arts audiences, the global sports market is growing and expected to continue to grow due to esports, an increase in the number of internet accessible devices and the advent of 5G. What opportunities could this offer arts organizations looking for digital innovations to reach audiences?