Triaging the Streaming Wars

This volume considers the different implications of the rise of streaming services and their particular acceleration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Exploring the significant disruption caused to the entertainment industries by the rise of these streaming services, a team of international scholars examine changes to labor issues and compensation, which were central to the conflict between the Writers Guild of America members and their agents, the broadening divide between networks and affiliates, the significant consolidation of the media industry resulting from Disney’s acquisition of Fox ahead of the launch of Disney+, and the variety of business models behind these services that defy the traditional advertising models and standard revenue streams. This thorough and multifaceted look at this rapidly growing section of the entertainment industry will be of interest to academics and students working in film and TV studies, media industry studies, digital media studies, business, and communication studies.

Robert Alan Brookey is Professor of Media at Ball State University where he also serves as Director of Graduate Studies. His previous books include Hollywood Gamers, Digital Convergence in the Film and Video Game Industries, and Playing to Win: Sports, Video Games, and the Culture of Play. His work has appeared in Games and Culture and Convergence.

Jason Phillips is Lecturer in the media department at Ball State University. His interest in media studies really began as a Gen-X kid listening to the radio on the way to school, and watching TV all afternoon after school. His first job in media was as a radio DJ. He has also worked in broadcast journalism. His previous academic work has focused on music videos, gender in the media, and internet culture.

Timothy Pollard is Associate Dean Emeritus for Academic Affairs and Student Relations in the College of Communication, Information, and Media at Ball State University. He held the position from 2019 to his retirement in 2022 and, prior to his elevation to Associate Dean, served in the Department of Telecommunications as an Associate Professor and chair from 2011 to 2017. Previously, he worked for CNN in Atlanta and Washington, D.C.