In relation to the media area you've studied, discuss the ways audience
consumption has changed over time. [50]
Ever since the art of film was invented, the main way for audiences to view it was for them to go out to a movie theater and watch it on the big (or, in the old days, small) screen. However, audience consumption has changed vastly compared to how things used to be. At the turn of the century, streaming services and movie rental services grew to be extremely relevant amongst society. There are many people who say they prefer not to go to the movie theater-- either because the price of tickets are too expensive, they don't have the time to go because of work, they don't like having their experience interrupted by people making noise in a theater, and so on. With things like Blockbuster (1985) and Netflix (1997) being founded, consumers seem to feel less compelled to watch a film at a movie theater.
Audience consumption is, of course, integral to a films' success. No matter how long a film crew has spent writing, shooting, and editing a film, the true success of the film rests in the hands of the general public. Creating a professional film has the potential to cost hundreds of millions of dollars, the largest film budget of all time for a single film is held by 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Strange Tides', costing a total of approximately $378.5 million. Obviously most films don't cost nearly as much, many indie filmmakers are able to create projects through only a few thousand; however when a film costs such a large amount to make, the money that was lost in production must eventually be earned back plus extra as profit in order for it to be deemed successful. Putting a large amount of funds into a project is a risk, and the outcome ultimately is found by the reaction of the audience it reaches. Audience consumption has always been an important factor once a production is completed, and with the growth of streaming services, audience consumption has risen greatly after the introduction of streaming services.
In 2018, box offices and movie theaters made about $11.95 billion in profit, while a streaming service, Netflix, earned $16 billion in revenue. Evidently, box offices are still making an extreme amount of money, but things like Netflix are also beginning to rake in profit at the same time. This may be because of the convenience that comes alongside streaming services. Rather than spending money and going out to the theater, it's more convenient to pay a flat amount of money once per month and have access to as many films and TV shows that the service could possibly offer, all available in the comfort of ones' home. Sources such as CNBC even go so far as to report that in 2018 over half of US homes are subscribed to some form of a streaming service, collectively spending around $2.1 billion per month; however streaming services are also being combatted by rewards programs at movie theaters, for example AMC Stubs, which can offer free refills on food, discounts on ticket prices, and higher quality/better placed seats in the theater.
Unfortunately, streaming services can also be harmful when terms come down to illegal download websites. The public having access to the internet is bound to have ups and downs, for one thing films, music, and television can be streamed online, yet at the same time many pirating websites and software have arisen. Online piracy is a genuine concern for the film industry, due to the fact that extremely intelligent beings may have the ability to hack into major databases and leak footage or entire films, rendering the need to go spend money to see a film rather useless. Things like Napster, which can tap into films that have yet to reach to the cinemas, are very harmful. The statement 'audience consumption increases' remains true, however the use of audience consumption holds no true purpose because those who watch films illegally aren't spending a penny, therefore taking away money from the film industry.
The change in audience consumption, despite the dangers of piracy and leaks, is a rather positive change in the public eye. Having such a convenient way to watch whatever one pleases is, naturally, something that grew popular very quickly, and has earned such services billions upon billions of dollars over the years. This may eventually pose danger for cinemas, some companies and new outlets have expressed worry for cinemas' futures around the world due to less and less people coming in and out. Actual ticket sales fluctuate each year-- generally hovering around 1.2 to 1.3 billion sales, but the number drops each year and rises the next. But all in all from the audiences perspective, consumption has never been easier and better. From a business perspective, streaming services are thriving, while cinemas may be slowly suffering the consequences from growing old or irrelevant in the public eye.
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