Film & TelevisionMarketing & CommunicationsTheater, Music & Performing ArtsWriting, Journalism, Media & Publishing

QAC 203 – Hollywood and Big Data

Taught by a media research executive with a long industry experience this course is designed to provide students with an introduction and understanding of how the media industry is using data to make decisions that shape the art landscape of our times. Data around consumer behavior–what, how and why people are watching–has exploded recently and is extensively used in making decisions about what TV shows and movies to produce, how to promote them and how to make them. The course will explore how the media industry quantifies different kinds of content, the ways in which people watch and pay for that content, and how value is attributed across the media landscape. Students will be introduced to essential “media metrics” (e.g. viewership, box office, engagement) and learn to evaluate different data sets for their integrity and representative insights. Visiting media executives will discuss how data informs their jobs (“evidence-based decision making”). Assignments will include written briefs based on different data sets and a final project presentation highlighting skills in analyzing and presenting insights extracted from media research data. By the end of this course, students will be familiar with key decision-making tools in the media industry and be able to analyze and understand the impact on media output.

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