In this episode of the Media Clips Podcast, GHJ Entertainment Practice Leader Ilan Haimoff checks in with Dr. Jeff Cole, USC Professor and Director of USC Annenberg’s Center for the Digital Future. In a Media Clips videocast in 2021, Ilan and Jeff discussed the streaming wars, the growing popularity of television and the uncertain future for movie theaters. In that time, the studios have continued to experiment with new release models. Now, a year later, Jeff says that one conclusion is clear: the movie theaters won. “Studios experimented with selling films directly to video, putting them on their streaming services as part of a subscription, putting them on their streaming services with supplemental fees and — ultimately, the holy grail with [films] like Black Widow — being able to put them on Disney Plus with a fee and the movie theatre at the same time,” Jeff explained on the podcast. “Theater owners were terrified because they were afraid theaters wouldn’t do as well and there would be a permanent shift toward home. That didn’t happen. When you look at the release patterns, people wanted to go to the movies when they felt safe.” Ilan and Jeff also discuss the growing competition between streamers, the trending content that has defined the COVID era and what is coming next in the entertainment landscape.