Research Guides: Industry Research: Film, Television & Theater

Searching USC Databases

For general overviews and market research reports search on terms like: MOVIES, MOTION PICTURES, HOME ENTERTAINMENT, BROADCASTING & CABLE, TELEVISION, PERFORMING ARTS, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

USC Libguides

Use USC Libraries' Research Guides for additional subject expertise

USC Industry Information Databases

TOP INDUSTRY DATABASES:

IBISWorld
Detailed market research and analysis for U.S., China and Global markets
MarketResearch.com Academic
Detailed reports from multiple publishers.
Passport
Passport/GMID by Euromonitor. International industry, company and market information

It includes company profiles, some with SWOT analysis, country briefings, sector briefings, sector data, industry watch articles and detailed Consumer Lifestyle reports.
Mint Global
Industry research includes reports from Datamonitor and MarketLine
BCC Research
Industry coverage focuses on many technologies and sciences (Life Sciences, Materials, Environment and Sustainability).
Mintel
Mintel Oxygen provides detailed market research reports in the areas of Beauty & Personal Care, Drink, Food, Leisure & Entertainment, Lifestyles, and Retailing and Apparel. Users must create a personal account and reports can only be downloaded one section at a time.

Users must create a personal account and reports can only be downloaded one section at a time.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Business Insights: Essentials
Company and industry profiles, including market and financial reports. Brief histories of companies and industries. Articles from trade journals, popular press, and academic journals covering business topics.
eMarketer
eMarketer provides analysis, market data, and statistics on the Internet, e-commerce, online marketing, social media, and emerging digital technologies around the world.
EStatement Studies
Provides financial ratios and other information on many industries.

It provides composite performance metrics derived directly from the financial statements of financial institutions' borrowers and prospects. It includes Financial Ratios Benchmarks on over 760 industries, Industry Default Probabilities and Cash Flow Measures.
Forrester
Technology and market research from Forrester Research, Inc. focusing on the business implications of technology change.
Gartner
USC/netID/webmail password required for access. USC does not have full access to all reports.

Not all documents are available in full-text form. Use the "Advanced Search" feature to locate full-text articles available to USC users.
SBRnet (Sports Business Research Network)
Sports Business Research Network provides market research and industry news for the sports industry.

SBRnet's site combines market research from the largest single research supplier to the industry, the National Sporting Goods Association; the U.S. Department of Commerce; various sports governing bodies; and full-text articles from 14 magazines and newsletters published by VNU, the world's largest sporting goods trade publisher, and newsletters provided by leading independent industry experts.
SPORTDiscus
Comprehensive database for sports & sports medicine literature. Includes international literature, conference proceedings, audiovisuals and more. Coverage dates back to 1985.
SRDS - Standard Rate and Data Service
Standard Rate and Data Service compiles contact information and ad rates for a variety of media sources

The print versions are useful when you have specific publications in mind, but our online access allows you to search across publications using keywords.
Thomson One
Click on 'Screening & Analysis' in the dark blue menu bar for advanced search options, including access to Industry research.
WARC
Previously known as the World Advertising Research Center, WARC provides a wide range of information on advertising and marketing trends around the world including expenditure data, case studies, industry trends and consumer insight.
Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS)
Compustat provides industry index information: Select Compustat - Monthly Updates - Select Region - Select Index Prices. Use 'Company Codes - Code Lookup to find industry specific codes

Box Office Data

Box Office Mojo
Daily rankings for currently released films
The Numbers
Daily box office listings
IMBd Box Office Data
Box Office Guru
Worldwide BoxOffice.com
Historical listings from 1900 to the present

TV Ratings

TV by the Numbers
Now combined with Zap2It, this tracks listings, ratings and industry news
TV Series Finale
Weekly rankings for cancelled and renewed TV shows
Broadcasting & Cable - TV Ratings
No chart data but news of currently broadcast TV shows
Hollywood Reporter
No chart data but news of currently broadcast TV shows
Nielsen - Top 10
Weekly rankings for prime time, cable and syndicated shows
Variety - TV Ratings
No chart data but news covering currently broadcast TV shows
The Wrap - TV Ratings
No chart data but news covering currently broadcast TV shows

USC Books and eBooks

Entertainment Industry Economics by Harold L. Vogel
Call Number: PN1590.F55V6 2014
Publication Date: 2010

Cinema Ready-Reference has 2014; Business Library Reference has 2011 edn.
TV Dimensions, 2014
Call Number: Business Circ. Desk HE8700.8 T917 2014
Publication Date: 2014

2013 edn. available in Business Reference
The Business of Entertainment [Three Volumes] by Robert C. Sickels (Editor)
Call Number: PN1584.B87 2009

Business -Reference collection; Cinema/TV Libraries - Bookstacks, 2-Week loan
The International Film Business by Angus Finney
Call Number: Cinema Reference PN1995.9 M29 F565 2014
Publication Date: 2014
Television as Digital Media by James Bennett (Editor)
Call Number: EBOOK
Publication Date: 2011

Hard copy available in Doheny HM851 .T465 2011
The Television Entrepreneurs by Raymond Boyle
Call Number: Cinema PN1992.8.B87 B89 2012
Publication Date: 2012
Tracking the Audience: the ratings industry from analog to digital by Karen S. F. Buzzard
Call Number: EBOOK
Publication Date: 2012

Hard copy available in Cinema HE8700.66.U6 B895 2012
Entertainment, Media & Advertising Market Research Handbook, 2016
Call Number: Business Reference GV174.E58

Published annually by Richard K. Miller Associates
Branding Television by Catherine Johnson
Call Number: Doheny HE8700.8 .J63 2012
Publication Date: 2011
The Independent Filmmaker's Guide to Writing a Business Plan for Investors by Gabriel Campisi
Call Number: Cinema PN1993.5.A1 C334 2012
Publication Date: 2012
Hollywood Drive: what it takes to break in, hang in & make it in the entertainment industry by Eve Light Honthaner
Call Number: EBOOK
Publication Date: 2018

Hard copy available in Cinema PN1995.9.P75 H66 2018
Building Successful and Sustainable Film and Television Businesses: a cross-national perspective by Eva Bakøy (Editor)
Call Number: Cinema PN1995.9.P7 B85 2017
Publication Date: 2017
The Business of Film: a practical introduction by Paula Landry
Call Number: Cinema PN1993.5 .U6 L36 2018
Publication Date: 2018

Search for More Books & Ebooks

Click here for more books & ebooks on the entertainment industry OR motion pictures OR television OR performing arts

USC Trade Journals & Other Internet Resources

Search USC Libraries Catalog for periodicals by doing a WORD or PHRASE search using the following terms, adding terms like finance, history, economics, or industry.

Film
Motion Picture
Cinema
Movies
Television
Theater or Theatre
Performing Arts

FILM & TELEVISION
Variety Online
Hollywood Reporter Online
Broadcasting & Cable
The Business of Television Broadcast & Cable
TV Week Online
Film & History
Peer reviewed
Museum of Broadcast Communications
Access to Encyclopedia of Television and other publications
THEATER
American Theatre
A publication of the Theatre Communications Group
Backstage
MusicalAmerica
Playbill
Stagelight

Government Statistics & Data

U.S. Census - Industry Statistics Portal
Radio & Television Broadcasting - NAICS 334220; Motion Picture & Video Distribution - NAICS - 512120; Radio & Television Broadcasting - NAICS 5151;
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - Industries at a Glance
Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries: NAICS 711
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - Industries at a Glance
Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries: NAICS 512
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics - Industries at a Glance
Broadcasting (except Internet): NAICS 515
FCC Statistical Reports
See related information and guides for information on the Broadcasting & Cable industries.
Nielsen
Some statistical data and special reports are sometimes available for free; USC does NOT have a subscription to their reports

Industry Associations

FILM, TELEVISION & VIDEO
Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences
Oscars.org
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
AFI - American Film Insititute
AFCI - Association of Film Commissioners International
FilmLA
Independent Film & Televsion Alliance
MPAA - Motion Picture Association of America
See Policy and Research for Industry Reports and State by State Statistics.
National Cable & Telecommunications Association
Producers Guild of America
Women in Film (TV/Media/Digital/Theater)
THEATER
Broadway League
Official website of the Broadway theatre industry
NATO - National Association of Theatre Owners
OTHER
National Association of Concessionaires

Additional Internet Resources

Audience 2.0: how technology influences arts participation
A 2010 report from the National Endowment for the Arts
Video Advertising Bureau
An advocacy group for the video industry which provides some statistics and research to non-members.
PWC - Technology, Media & Entertainment
Free registration may be required for report access.
Entertainment & the Media in Los Angeles
A 2010 report from the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation
The Entertainment Industry and the Los Angeles County Economy
A 2012 report from the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation
Global Media Report, 2016
Contains statistics on broadband, TV, cable, and in-home entertainment
Entertainment Technology Center
Look under ETC Activities for:
Publications & Media
Consumer & Industry Research
Harvard Business School Working Knowledge: Media & Broadcasting
Harvard Business School Working Knowledge: Motion Picture & Video
Theatrical & Home Entertainment Market Environment, 2018
Published annually by the MPAA
Moviegoers 2010
A study conducted by Stradella Road
Television Bureau of Advertising
Search the Rankings and Industry Trends tabs to find data on monthly viewing statistics, demographic markets and ad revenues
TV and Media, 2016
A ConsumerLab and Ericsson Consumer Insight Report published annually
USC Annenberg - The Norman Lear Center