This year’s top 10 U.S. summer box office films earned $2.7 billion.
And on the small screen, Statista researchers found that streaming revenue is expected to reach more than $95 billion, outpacing traditional TV revenue, which is expected to reach $132 billion this year.
But despite such big numbers, experts say it’s extremely rare to actually make money from TV or movies.
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“For television, it’s Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, Paramount. It’s the streamers who buy it, they pay for it, it’s theirs,” said Greenberg Glusker partner and entertainment attorney. said Skye Moore. “For movies, you either go to a streamer and sell it, or you hope it does well in theaters.”
Moore said the loss of revenue from streaming and DVD and Blu-ray sales makes show business even more risky.
“Unfortunately, 80% of the time they lose money, and it’s the winners who make up for the losers,” Moore said.
And for the entertainment companies that buy these properties, revenue doesn’t just come from ticket sales, advertising, and subscribers. It also comes from selling products.
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Netflix’s hit period drama Bridgerton grossed more than $7 million in merchandise sales this summer, significantly outpacing its competitors, according to e-commerce experts at Omnisend.
And last year, Funko Pop (the company that makes the small, licensed pop culture figures that you’ve probably seen, given, or been given if you’re a fan of all things geeky) had net sales of 11. It was a billion dollars.
“This industry is very capital-hungry and hungry, that’s for sure,” Moore said.
Video streaming revenue in the US is expected to increase further, likely due to a surge in advertising revenue generated by services such as Prime Video.
This evolution reflects changing consumer habits, with streaming video expected to reach a value of $95.4 billion in 2024, while traditional TV revenues are likely to decline further.