A dark, stylized illustration of a distressed Hollywood sign with streaming service logos orbiting a vortex near city skyscrapers depicting skeletal figures, with people walking below.

The entertainment industry is in a major upheaval, driven by the shift to streaming, tech disruption, economic pressures, and changing audience habits, leading to revenue drops, mass layoffs, production slowdowns, cord-cutting, franchise fatigue, and a move away from traditional Hollywood models towards global competition, impacting jobs and creativity as companies prioritize profit over risk-taking. Key Factors & Consequences: Streaming Wars & Profitability: The boom in streaming led to an oversupply of content (600+ scripted series!), but many platforms struggle to turn a profit, causing Wall Street to curb spending and leading to massive stock drops and industry contraction. Cord-Cutting & Revenue Loss: The internet eroded cable TV's dominance, causing significant revenue loss for traditional media, while physical media sales plummeted with the rise of online streaming. Tech's Double-Edged Sword: Big tech's control over platforms impacts creative decisions, pushing for profitable, franchise-heavy content, potentially stifling originality and leading to "franchise fatigue". Production Slowdown & Job Losses: Following the pandemic and 2023 strikes, production slowed, especially in Los Angeles, with companies cutting back on acquiring new projects, leading to widespread job losses and filming moving overseas for tax incentives. Audience Shift: Younger audiences spend more time on user-generated content platforms, while general audiences are seeing fewer mid-budget films, See more