Interview, Fireside Chat, Podcast
a16z Podcast | The Future of Entertainment and What David Petraeus and the Olsen Twins Can Teach Us
- Global day-and-date releases are currently not economically feasible for creating a unified cultural moment, though the industry seeks a new model to enable this and expand viewing possibilities.
- Technology has significantly reduced artist profitability over the last five years, eliminating opportunities for significant first-dollar gross shares and making piracy the most detrimental factor.
- The technology-driven economic model favors mega-hits such as Marvel productions, leaving the "middle" tier of films and singles unable to compete effectively.
- Future business success is predicted to rely on sustained quality, as the speaker expects technology to either find the industry or be found by it, noting that new technology innovations will not originate from Hollywood.
- A future growth area is identified within entertainment and education, specifically aiming to augment suffering public education systems through visual augmentation using large LDF screens or replaceable skins in a "curiosity complex."
- The television sector is expected to continue building over the next 10 years, with the current proliferation of platforms eventually stabilizing into a model that benefits all participants.
- There is currently little consumer interest in paying for thoughtful adult films, causing a strategic shift in focus toward television, despite a continued desire to produce Oscar-nominated projects in that genre.