Showbiz Sandbox 555: Modern Media Consumption Metrics Are A Big Mess

September 14, 2021

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Keeping track of television ratings, streaming viewership and music revenue has become a hopeless task in the digital age. Everyone is mad at Nielsen though how can they realistically capture all the eyeballs content on TVs, phones, laptops and tablets? Meanwhile, Billboard keeps changing the formula they use to count album sales by working in various flavors of streaming. What the most popular shows, movies, albums or songs are at any given moment has become impossible to decipher.

The good news is, according to new data from the Recording Industry Association, music revenue for the first half of 2021 grew $1.5 billion driven by music streaming, which accounted for 84% of the $7.1 billion earned.

Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including an executive shakeup at Paramount Pictures, the outcome of Apple’s epic legal battle and the Venice Film Festival kickstarts this year’s awards season in a big way.

‘Shang-Chi’ Lifts To $258M Global; ‘Free Guy’ At $277M
https://deadline.com/2021/09/shang-chi-free-guy-quiet-place-china-global-international-box-office-1234831503/

‘Shang-Chi’ Strong Second Weekend With $35M+; ‘Malignant’ DOA
https://deadline.com/2021/09/shang-chi-strong-second-weekend-with-31m-malignant-dying-1234831053/

Book Publishing’s Rousing First Half of 2021
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/87347-book-publishing-s-rousing-first-half-of-2021.html

Stufish Designing Hexagonal Arena for ABBA Reunion Tour
https://www.dezeen.com/2021/09/07/stufish-arena-london-abba-reunion-tour/

‘Raging Fire’ Star Nicholas Tse to Renounce Canadian Citizenship, Embrace China Instead
https://variety.com/2021/global/asia/nicholas-tse-canada-china-citizenship-raging-fire-1235057612/

French Abortion Drama ‘Happening’ Takes Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival, Penélope Cruz Wins Best Actress
https://variety.com/2021/film/festivals/venice-film-festival-awards-ceremony-gets-under-way-with-penelope-cruz-and-jane-campion-among-those-invited-updating-live-1235061864/

Brian Robbins Expected to Take Over Leadership of Paramount Movie Studio
https://www.wsj.com/articles/brian-robbins-expected-to-take-over-leadership-of-paramount-movie-studio-11631281748

With Brian Robbins, ViacomCBS Bets a Kids’ TV Veteran Can Bring Paramount Into a Streaming Future
https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/viacom-cbs-paramount-brian-robbins-1235061211/

Disney Releasing ‘Eternals,’ ‘Encanto’ Exclusively in Theaters
https://variety.com/2021/film/news/eternals-encanto-west-side-story-last-duel-theaters-disney-1235061504/

HBO Max Will Launch in Six Countries in Europe in October
https://variety.com/2021/streaming/global/hbo-max-europe-launch-date-1235057976/

TV Ratings: NFL Kickoff Game Hits Multi-Year High
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/tv-ratings-thursday-sept-9-2021-nfl-kickoff-1235011551/

ESPN Announces Monster TV Ratings For Florida State-Notre Dame
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ncaafb/espn-announces-monster-tv-ratings-for-florida-state-notre-dame/ar-AAOa3RK

Apple Music Officially Launches DJ Mix Technology to ID (and Pay) Rights Holders
https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9627270/apple-music-shazam-id-songs-dj-mixes/

Judge Orders Apple to Ease Restrictions on App Developers
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/10/technology/epic-apple-app-developers.html

China’s Regulators Said to Slow Approval of New Online Games
https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3148128/china-said-suspend-approval-new-online-games-heating-beijings

Tencent, NetEase Shares Dive After Chinese Regulators Summon Firms
https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/09/tencent-stock-falls-after-chinese-regulators-summon-gaming-firms.html

Drake’s ‘Certified Lover Boy’ Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart With Biggest Week for an Album in Over a Year
https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9628162/drake-certified-lover-boy-number-one-billboard-200-album-chart/

Live Nation to Acquire 51% of Ocesa, Mexico’s Largest Concert Promoter, for $444 Million
https://variety.com/2021/music/news/live-nation-ocesa-mexico-concert-promoter-1235063051/

Liz McCann Dies: Pioneering Broadway Producer, Winner Of Nine Tony Awards Was 90
https://deadline.com/2021/09/liz-mccann-dead-broadway-producer-obituary-tony-awards-1234830072/

Irma Kalish, Trailblazing Sitcom Writer and Producer, Dies at 96
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/irma-kalish-trailblazing-sitcom-writer-producer-dies-1235009021/

The Question Michael K. Williams Asked Me Before Every Season of ‘The Wire’
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/12/opinion/michael-k-williams-david-simon-the-wire.html

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