Film, Television and Theater Industries
| Statistics | Trade Organizations | Companies | Guilds & Societies |
| Government Information | Directories | Other Resources |
Publications
Online Resources
These database links will re-direct you to our proxy-enabled subscription database page to facilitate connectivity:
- Lexis-Nexis Academic indexes the arts & entertainment and broadcasting & cable industries, and provides full-text access to a large number of articles.
- ABI Inform / ProQuest provides full-text access to articles, including Hollywood Reporter, Weekly Variety, Entertainment Weekly, TVB:Television Broadcast, TelevisionWeek, Journal of Popular Film & Television, Billboard and Broadcasting & Cable.
- Academic OneFile and Factiva provide full-text access to articles.
- S&P NetAdvantage: Industries (Movies & Home Entertainment; Broadcasting & Cable)
- IBISWorld: keyword search "television", "movie" or "performing arts" to retrieve US industry reports
- Investext: find analyst reports on specific companies or broader industry coverage (Broadcasting/Cable TV)
Film and Television
- Variety Online provides some free trade information, or you can subscribe to the enhanced online service.
- The Hollywood Reporter also gives free and for-fee information, and has a business section.
- Independent Film Quarterly
- Broadcasting & Cable online for news about the cable television industry.
- TelevisionWeek contains weekly prime-time ratings (under News).
- Television Broadcast
- Film & History (peer-reviewed): Excerpted from the site's purpose statement: '...to disseminate information about film and film use to historians and other social scientists.'
- Television Networks in the 21st Century: a 2005 report issued by Deliotte.
- The Encyclopedia of Television: full-text access to the Museum of Broadcast Communications publication
Theater
- Back Stage
- Playbill
-
MusicalAmerica: a business source for the performing arts
University Libraries
- Search HOMER for periodicals by doing a 'Word or Phrase' search using the following terms:
-
performing arts periodicals
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- Search HOMER for books using the following keywords in the subject mode combined with 'industry' or 'economics' or 'history':
- film
- motion picture
- cinema
- movies
- television
- theater or theatre
- Search eBrary for full-text books online (keyword search: 'television', 'cinema', 'film', 'movies', 'theater', 'drama', performing arts)
- Entertainment Industry Economics / by Harold Vogel (Business Reference PN1590.F55V6 2007)
Chapter 3: Movie Macroeconomics discusses primary and secondary markets, technology, marketing, production, merchandising, financial accounting and corporate overviews. Chapter 7: Broadcasting (TV) and Chapter 8: Cable discusses operations, regulations, organizational patterns, cost elements and accounting, industry structure, and pay-per-view. Chapter 13: Performing Arts & Culture discusses production financing and operational characteristics. - Global Entertainment & Media Outlook, 2007-2011 (Business Reference Desk HF5439 .M267G66)
- Entertainment, Media & Advertising Market Research Handbook, 2009 (Business Reference GV174 .E58 2009)
- The Biz: the basic business, legal and financial aspects of the film industry / by Schuyler Moore (Business Reference KF4302 .M66 2002)
- Dealmaking in the Film & Television Industry: from negotiations to final contracts / by Mark Litwak (Business Reference KF4290 .L58 2002)
- TV Dimensions, 2007 (Business Reference HE8700.8 T917 2007)
- This Business of Television / by Howard J. Blumenthal (Business Reference HE8700.8 B58 2006)
- Producing, Financing and Distributing Film / by Paul Baumgarten (Business Reference KF4302 .B39 1992)
- Contracts for the Film & Television Industry / by Mark Litwak (Business Reference KF4302 .L58 1998)
- The Business of Movie Production & Distribution / by Kagan Research (Business Reference PN1993.5 U6K28)
- The Movie Business Book / by USC Cinema Prof. Jason Squire (Doheny/Leavey PN1933.5 U6M666 2004)
- Film Finance & Distibution: a dictionary of terms / by John Cones (Cinema/Leavey PN1933.5 U6C635 1992)
- Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook is published annually and contains market statistics, Nielsen data and Arbitron markets geographically (Doheny Reference TK6675.B72)
- Hollywood Creative Directory (Cinema PN1998 .A1H57)
Statistics
Online Resources
- AC Nielsen provides access to many different film and television statistics. USC does not have subscription access to their reports.
- Worldwide Film Production/Distribution, 2004-05 is tabulated by ScreenDigest periodically.
- TV International Sourcebook, 2007 contains worldwide country data on household penetration for terresterial, cable, digital, and IPTV, plus global rankings.
- MPAA State-by-State Film & Television Production statistics
- Movies.com provides a range of lists and box-office information.
- Television Bureau of Advertising provides statistics on weekly and monthly viewing trends, demographic markets, and ad revenues in their Research Central link.
- TheFutonCritic lists primetime schedules, ratings, programming histories, advertising rates, and press releases regarding network television.
- AVScienceForum posts daily and weekly ratings, audience share, viewership numbers, and news articles regarding all television programming.
- ShowBizData is a membership site, but some information is freely listed.
- Statistical Abstract of the United States offers various statistics on the industries. Search the index for 'Motion Pictures Industry,' 'Television broadcasting,' Cable & other pay TV,' and 'Theaters' to find the appropriate tables.
- FCC Statistical Reports are published intermittently by the Federal Communication Commission and cover
- Bureau of Labor Statistics Industries at a Glance: Arts, Entertainment & Recreation
- Bureau of Labor Statistics Industries at a Glance: Broadcasting
- Bureau of Labor Statistics Industries at a Glance: Motion Picture & Sound Recording
- Bureau of Labor Statistics Industries at a Glance: Performing Arts
Box Office Statistics and Television Ratings
The following sites are well maintained and accurate, and provide good information not easily found on the Web:
- Nielsen EDI Box Office News tracks current box office releases and revenues plus some annual data.
- BoxOffice Online lists the current top ten movies with weekly and total grosses.
- Exhibitor Relations lists weekly box office figures plus other data.
- WorldWideBoxOffice lists domestic, overseas, and global box office grosses since 1899.
- The-Numbers.com has movie box office data and current theater listings.
- Movie Theatre Statistics is compiled by the National Association of Theatre Owners.
- Broadway grosses from Playbill.
- U.S. Theatrical Market Statistics, 2009 is issued by the Motion Picture Association.
- Prime Time Weekly Ratings covers the current broadcast season for network, cable, syndicated, and sports shows.
- DVD Release Report is published weekly.
- Cable Guide, 2008: a special supplement to Advertising Age profiling cable television.
- Cable television statistics tracked by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association
The School of Business Network
These database links will re-direct you to our proxy-enabled subscription database page to facilitate connectivity:
- Business & Company Resource Center provides industry overviews, market research and market share data (Industry search SIC 4833 for television broadcasting stations)
- IBISWorld contains US industry reports on television, movie production and performing arts
- Investext contains analyst reports on specific media companies and on the industry as a whole
- TableBase retrieves statistical tables with accompanying articles from news and trade publications
- ValueLine provides industry tearsheets (click on 'Investment Survey' then go to 'Look-up Industry')
Crocker Business Library
- Statistical Abstract of the United States offers various industry statistics. Search the index for 'Motion Pictures Industry,' 'Television broadcasting,' 'Cable & other pay TV,' and 'Theaters' to find the related tables (Circulation desk: HA202.A4)
- The Market Share Reporter for domestic and global market share data (Circulation desk: HF5410.M376)
- Entertainment, Media & Advertising Market Research Handbook (Reference GV174 .E58 2009)
- National Association of Theatre Owners Encyclopedia of Exhibition contains statistics on U.S. theaters, films released, box office performance, historical top releases and post-theatrical movie markets (Reference: PN1993.3 E525)
- ValueLine (Circulation desk)
- Nielsen Media Research Report on Television 1988 (Reference: HE8700.7 A8.N543)
- Arbitron Ratings (1988) (Cinema: HE8700.7.A8.A735)
Trade Organizations
Online Resources
- American Film Institute
- Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)
- Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
- Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (AMPAS)
- Independent Film & Television Alliance: A trade association of 130 motion picture and television production and distribution companies.
- Association of Film Commissioners International
- National Cable & Telecommunications Association
- League of American Theatres and Producers, Inc.
- National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO): Publishes Encyclopedia of Exhibition annually and has free statistical and news-related links.
- Association of Talent Agents
- National Association of Concessionaires: represents the recreation and leisure-time food & beverage concessions industry
- Video Software Dealer's Association (VSDA)
- Parents Television Council: a non-partisan organization enforcing broadcasting decency standards.
Companies
Online Resources (find company profiles and financial data in these resources)
These database links will re-direct you to our proxy-enabled subscription database page to facilitate connectivity:
The School of Business Network
- SEC EDGAR contains annual and quarterly filings going back to 1995.
- ValueLine provides financial data for public companies (click on 'Investment Survey' then go to 'Look-up Company').
- Standard & Poor's NetAdvantage provides financial data and a corporate snapshot of public companies.
- Hoover's provides company profiles and financials for public and some private companies.
- MintGlobal contains profiles on companies worldwide.
- Mergent Online provides PDF versions of annual reports.
- Investext contains analyst reports on media companies and the entertainment industry.
- Lexis/Nexis Academic provides profile information in their Business module
- Business & Company Resource Center provides company profiles, industry overviews, analyst reports and market share for companies worldwide.
Crocker Business Library
- ValueLine (Circulation Desk)
Guilds and Societies
Online Resources
Film and Television
- American Society of Cinematographers
- EIDC/Los Angeles Film Office: Shows which productions are filming and coordinates filming permits.
- Directors Guild of America
- ASIFA/International Animated Film Society: Hollywood
- Motion Picture Editors Guild: Features current union news and networking resources
- Professional Drivers Association: Stunt work for commercials, film and television
- Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers
- International Cinematographers Guild
- Steadicam Operators Association
- Inter-Society for the Enhancement of Cinema Presentation
- Stuntmen's Association of Motion Pictures: Nonprofit organization of stuntmen in the motion picture and television industries
- Stuntwomen's Association of Motion Pictures, Inc.
- United Stuntmen's Association: Conducts annual national stunt training workshops
- Women in Film
- Writers Guild of America East, and Writers Guild of America West: Labor unions representing writers of motion pictures and television programs. The sites offer online script registration.
- Global Film Initiative
Theater
Government Information
Online Resources
Directories
Online Resources
- BoxOffice Online provides a list of film distributors as well as a list of equipment manufacturers and dealers.
- The Thomas Register of Manufacturers: Companies that manufacture tangible products such as motion-picture cameras.
Crocker Business Library
- The Southern California Business Directory (Circulation Desk HF5068 .L6 .L58)
Cinema-TV Library
- The Entertainment Funding Sourcebook (Reference PN1993.5.A1E58)
- The Entertainment Yellow Pages (Cage PN2289.E58)
- Hollywood New Media Directory (Reference QA76.76 .I59 H65)
- Playhouse America!: a directory of theatres and theatre companies in the U.S.A. (Reference PN2289.P531)
- Blu-Book Film, TV & Commercial Production Directory (PN1998.A1H6)
Other Resources
- The Future of Television?: advertising, technology and the pursuit of audiences: A 2008 report from the Norman Lear Center of USC's Annenberg School of Communication
- Film Industry Profile of California/Los Angeles County: A report issued by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. in Nov. 2005 (PDF file)
- Los Angeles Entertainment Industry Cluster: A report issued by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. (PDF file)
- Entertainment Industry: the long tail: a November 2006 equity research report issued by Bear Stearns
- Profitability Study of MPAA-Rated Movies, 1989-2003: A report commissioned by the Dove Foundation
- PriceWaterhouseCoopers' Entertainment & Media publications are available for free once you register
- Entertainment & Media: a 2009 industry overview from The Salter Group
- How Hollywood Can Out-Apple Apple: a 2008 white paper from Parks Associates and USC's Entertainment Technology Center
- Americans Prefer Going to the Movies at Home: a Pew Foundation report issued in 2006
- The Economic Impact of the Motion Picture & Television Production Industry in the U.S.: a 2006 MPAA report
- Prime-Time Network Entertainment Programming: a book chapter from Broadcast Television Strategies
- Big Bets for the US Cable Industry: a 2005 PriceWaterhouseCoopers report
- Movie Market Study: a 2001 report issued by the Newspaper Association of America tracking movie attendance and demographics
- Whose Stories Are We Telling?: a 2007 Hollywood Writers report
- Artists in the Workforce, 1990-2005: a 2008 National Endowment for the Arts report
- Entertainment Industry Students Association (EISA) is USC's student organization dedicated to peer development and networking with professionals in the entertainment industry
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