The article opens with a brief statement on the historical relations between feature-film and television-program production in Hollywood. The basic corporate context within which television-program production and distribution are accomplished is described in detail. Special attention is paid here to issues of vertical integration and disintegration across the entire chain of activities in the television industry. The geography of television-program production in the United States is analyzed and the pre-eminence of Hollywood in this regard is underlined. The dynamics of locational agglomeration in Hollywood are scrutinized. A case study of a primetime television show is presented in which it is demonstrated how production of the show depends upon an extraordinarily detailed system of procurements from suppliers in and around Hollywood. The accelerating process of decentralization of certain kinds of television production activities from Hollywood is then subject to analysis. The article concludes on a speculative note in which it is predicted that in the future, and especially in the television-program producing segment of the entertainment industry, Hollywood is likely to face intensifying competition in global markets.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Amin, A. and N. Thrift (1992) ‘ Neo-Marshallian Nodes in Global Networks ’, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research16: 571–587 .
2.
AMPAS (2001) Annual Index to Motion Picture Credits, 2000 edn. Beverly Hills, CA: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences .
3.
Barnatt, C.N. and K. Starkey (1994) ‘ The Emergence of Flexible Networks in the UK Television Industry ’, British Journal of Management5: 251–260 .
4.
Bernstein, I. (1957) Hollywood at the Crossroads: An Economic Study of the Motion-Picture Industry. Los Angeles: Hollywood A. F. of L. Film Council.
5.
Bourdieu, P. (1996) Sur la téeléevision. Paris: Liber .
6.
Cantor, M.G. and J.M. Cantor (1992) Prime-time Television: Content and Control. Newbury Park, CA: Sage .
7.
Chipty, T. (2001) ‘ Vertical Integration, Market Foreclosure, and Consumer Welfare in the Cable Television Industry ’, American Economic Review91: 428–453 .
8.
Chistopherson, S. and M. Storper (1986) ‘ The City as Studio, the World as Backlot: The Impact of Vertical Disintegration on the Location of the Motion-picture Industry ’, Environment and Planning D: Society and Space4: 305–320 .
9.
Coe, N.M. (2001) ‘ A Hybrid Agglomeration? The Development of a Satellite-Marshallian Industrial District in Vancouver’s Film Industry ’, Urban Studies38: 1753–1775 .
10.
Collins, R. (1993) ‘The Internationalization of the Television Program Market: Media Imperialism or International Division of Labor? The Case of the United Kingdom’, pp. 125–146 in E.M. Noam and J.C. Millonzi (eds) The International Market in Film and Television Programs. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing .
11.
Deakin, S. and S. Pratten (2000) ‘ Quasi-markets, Transactions Costs, and Trust: The Uncertain Effects of Market Reforms in British Television Production ’, Television and New Media1: 312–354 .
12.
EIDC (2001) MOWs – A Three-Year Study: An Analysis of Television Movies of the Week, 1997–1998, 1998–1999, and 1999–2000. Los Angeles: Entertainment Industry Development Corporation .
13.
Faulkner, R.R. and A.B. Anderson (1987) ‘ Short-term Projects and Emergent Careers: Evidence from Hollywood ’, American Journal of Sociology92: 879–909 .
14.
FCC (1980) An Analysis of Television Program Production, Acquisition, and Distribution. Washington, DC: Federal Communication Commission, Network Inquiry Special Staff .
15.
Gitlin, T. (1994) Inside Prime Time. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press .
16.
Gomery, D. (1994) ‘Failed Opportunities: The Integration of the US Motionpicture and Television Industries’, in N. Browne (ed.) American Television: New Directions in History and Theory. Chur, Switzerland: Harwood Academic Publishers .
17.
Gomery, D. (1998) ‘Hollywood Corporate Business Practice and Periodizing Contemporary Film History’, pp. 47–57 in S. Neale and M. Smith (eds) Contemporary Hollywood Cinema. London: Routledge .
18.
Katz, S. (2001) The Migration of Feature Film Production from the US to Canada: Year 2000 Production Report. Los Angeles: Center for Entertainment Industry Data and Research .
19.
Krätke, S. (2002) ‘ Network Analysis of Production Clusters: The Potsdam/Babelsberg Film Industry as an Example ’, European Planning Studies10: 27–54 .
20.
Litman, B.R. (1979) The Vertical Structure of the Television Broadcasting Industry: The Coalescence of Power. East Lansing: Michigan State University Business Studies .
21.
Litwak, M. (1986) Reel Power: The Struggle for Influence and Success in the New Hollywood. New York: Morrow .
22.
Marshall, A. (1890) Principles of Economics. London, New York: Macmillan .
23.
Monitor (1999) US Runaway Film and Television Production Study Report. Santa Monica: Monitor Company .
24.
Palmer, I., R. Dunford, T. Rura-Polley and E. Baker (2001) ‘ Changing Forms of Organizing: Dualities in Using Remote Collaboration Technologies in Film Production ’, Journal of Organizational Change Management14: 190–212 .
25.
Pendakur, M. (1998) ‘Hollywood North: Film and TV Production in Canada’, in G. Sussman and J.A. Lent (eds) Global Productions: Labor in the Making of the Information Society. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton Press .
26.
Schatz, T. (1983) Old Hollywood/New Hollywood Ritual, Art and Industry. Ann Arbor: UMI Research Press .
27.
Scott, A.J. (1988) Metropolis: From the Division of Labor to Urban Form. Berkeley: University of California Press .
28.
Scott, A.J. (1993) ‘ Interregional Subcontracting Patterns in the Aerospace Industry: The Southern Californian Nexus ’, Economic Geography69: 142–156 .
29.
Scott, A.J. (1999) ‘ The Cultural Economy: Geography and the Creative Field ’, Culture, Media, and Society21: 807–817 .
30.
Scott, A.J. (2000) The Cultural Economy of Cities: Essays on the Geography of Image-producing Industries. London: Sage .
31.
Scott, A.J. (2002) ‘A New Map of Hollywood: The Production and Distribution of American Motion Pictures’, Regional Studies.
32.
Segrave, K. (1998) American Television Abroad: Hollywood’s Attempt to Dominate World Television. Jefferson, NC: McFarland .
33.
Sklar, R. (1994) Movie-made America: A Cultural History of American Movies. New York: Vintage Books .
34.
Smith, M. (1998) ‘Theses on the Philosophy of Hollywood History’, pp. 3–20 in S. Neale and S. Smith (eds) Contemporary Hollywood Cinema. London: Routledge .
35.
Staiger, J. (2000) Blockbuster TV: Must-see Sitcoms in the Network Era. New York: New York University Press .
36.
Starkey, K. and C. Barnatt (1997) ‘ Flexible Specialization and the Reconfiguration of Television Production in the UK ’, Technology Analysis and Strategic Management9: 271–286 .
37.
Starkey, K., C. Barnatt and S. Tempest (2000) ‘ Beyond Networks and Hierarchies: Latent Organizations in the UK Television Industry ’, Organization Science11: 299–305 .
38.
Storper, M. and S. Christopherson (1987) ‘ Flexible Specialization and Regional Industrial Agglomerations: The Case of the US Motion-picture Industry ’, Annals of the Association of American Geographers77: 260–282 .
39.
Tracey, M. (1993) ‘A Taste of Money: Popular Culture and the Economics of Global Television’, pp. 163–198 in E.M. Noam and J.C. Millonzi (eds) The International Market in Film and Television Programs. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing .
40.
Ursell, G. (2000) ‘ Television Production: Issues of Exploitation, Commodification, and Subjectivity in UK Television Labour Markets ’, Media, Culture & Society22: 805–825 .
41.
US Department of Commerce (2001) ‘Migration of US Film and Television Production’, Washington, DC .
42.
Varis, T. (1993) ‘Trends in the Global Traffic of Television Programs’, pp. 1–11 in E.M. Noam and J.C. Millonzi (eds) The International Market in Film and Television Programs. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing .
43.
Vianello, R. (1994) ‘The Rise of the Telefilm and the Networks’ Hegemony Over the Motion-picture Industry’, in N. Browne (ed.) American Television: New Directions in History and Theory. Chur, Switzerland: Harwood Academic Publishers .
44.
Walker, J. and D. Ferguson (1998) The Broadcast Television Industry. Boston: Allyn and Bacon .
