How Independent Studios Are Rewriting the Streaming Playbook
As the giants tighten their belts, a generation of smaller studios is proving that audiences will follow stories, not platforms.
The Rebirth of the Long-Form Documentary
In an age built for the short and the scrollable, the slow, patient documentary is enjoying an unlikely renaissance. The reasons are less contradictory than they appear.
The Virtual Concert Grew Up, and the Audience Followed
The pandemic-era live stream was supposed to fade with the lockdowns. It evolved instead, and the second stage is now a real business.
What AI Actually Changes About Filmmaking, and What It Doesn't
The technology that can generate images is arriving in the studios. The debate about whether it should is louder than the question of what it's good for.
The Podcast Economy Settles Into Something Stranger Than a Boom
The gold rush ended, and what survived is more interesting than the rush itself.
The Awards Season Is Being Rewritten, and the Voters Are Not in Charge
The spectacle that decides which films are remembered is being reshaped by forces that have nothing to do with the quality of the films.
The Quiet Renaissance of Adult Animation
The medium that was once consigned to comedy is finding room for seriousness, and the audiences are older than the format assumed.
The Vinyl Revival Stopped Being a Novelty and Became an Industry
The format that was supposed to die became the one that grew. The reasons say more about how we listen than about how records are made.
The Theater Did Not Die, and the Recovery Is Telling It Why
The medium that was supposed to be most vulnerable to the streaming era survived it, and the survival has changed what it makes.
When Games Become Films, and Why Most Still Fail
The adaptation that was supposed to be impossible is being made, and some of it is good. The reasons are more specific than the talent involved.
The Creator Economy Grew Up and Hit a Ceiling
The platforms that built a new class of media maker are mature, and maturity has brought problems the boom did not prepare anyone for.
Short-Form Video Grew Up and the Medium Changed With It
The vertical video that was dismissed as a fad became the dominant way a generation watches. The consequences are still being reckoned with.
The Streaming of Broadway and the Question It Refuses to Answer
The stage went online, and the audience that found it wants to stay. The industry that owns the stage has not decided what that means.
The Festival Economy Is Breaking, and the Audience Is Paying Attention
The summer festival that defined a generation of music-going is in trouble, and the trouble is structural rather than cyclical.
The Quiet Globalization of What We Watch, Through Dubbing
The technology and craft of dubbing made the world's stories travel, and the travel changed what every audience watches.