A “New Economy” of Blockbusters?

This chapter analyzes the rhetoric surrounding the rise of subscription video on demand (SVOD) platforms such as Netflix regarding the impact of their recommendation algorithms on the economics of audiovisual production. Carried out by industry players as well as by media commentators—and even academics—this rhetoric sees such algorithms as central to a profound transformation of risk minimization strategies in the media. Observing Netflix’s socioeconomic strategies since its entry into content production, our analysis will show that, while the idea of a more and more algorithm-driven cultural production is expanding, the actual strategies tend instead to follow traditional logics of the audiovisual industry. Therefore, a more theory-oriented discussion will aim at understanding this whole rhetoric as a myth in the history of audiovisual capitalism.

Christophe Magis. A “New Economy” of Blockbusters?. Michael Filimowicz. AI and the Future of Creative Work, Routledge, pp.54-70, 2023, 9781003299875. ⟨10.4324/9781003299875-4⟩ - lien externe. ⟨hal-04349229⟩ - lien externe