Thomas K. Arnold

  • Reinventing a Studio

    Reinventing a Studio

    Hollywood loves reinvention stories, but few executives have executed one as thoroughly — or as pragmatically — as Chris McGurk. Having spent decades running legacy studios including Universal Pictures, MGM and Overture Films, McGurk now finds himself on the other side of the equation: building a modern entertainment company, with technology not as an accessory, … Continue reading “Reinventing a Studio”

  • May the Revenue Wars Begin

    May the Revenue Wars Begin

    This year’s CES was easily my busiest in two decades. Not since the launch of Blu-ray Disc — and the flurry of studio announcements that surrounded CES 2006 — have I attended so many meetings, presentations, breakfasts, press conferences and off-floor briefings packed into such a short span of days. CES 2026 wasn’t just busy; … Continue reading “May the Revenue Wars Begin”

  • AI’s Second Act

    AI’s Second Act

    Last year, when we published our inaugural roundup of the 20 most transformative uses of artificial intelligence in digital entertainment, it felt like we were stepping onto a fast-moving walkway. AI was intriguing, untested, and — at least in our business — still in the early “promise and potential” stage. Twelve months later, that walkway … Continue reading “AI’s Second Act”

  • Streaming Grows Up

    Streaming Grows Up

    Welcome to the fourth edition of The 40 Most Important People in Streaming — our annual roll call of the executives who aren’t just making noise, but also moving the business. If last year was about momentum, this year is about maturity. Streaming finally started accepting, and dealing with, the hard realities of the business: … Continue reading “Streaming Grows Up”

  • The Radial Edge

    The Radial Edge

    Consolidation in Hollywood is hardly a new phenomenon. We’ve seen it unfold for decades, from the studio system’s slow unraveling to the cable roll-ups of the 1980s and ’90s, and, more recently, the digital land grabs that saw Netflix, Disney and the other big streamers rise to prominence and dominance.   But on the eve of … Continue reading “The Radial Edge”

  • Power Shift

    Power Shift

    Welcome to our second annual “50 Women to Watch in the Digital Entertainment Business” issue, in which our editors profile the 50 women executives they believe will have the greatest impact on our industry in the coming year. This year’s list has far more newcomers than we expected, joining such prominent veterans as Bela Bajaria … Continue reading “Power Shift”

  • Words of Wisdom From Industry Leaders to the 40 Under 40, Class of 2025

    Words of Wisdom From Industry Leaders to the 40 Under 40, Class of 2025

    To celebrate the release of our eighth annual 40 Under 40 issue, in which we salute the rising stars in the world of digital entertainment, I once again reached out to some of the digital entertainment industry’s top executives and asked them what they’d like to say to our 40 Under 40 Class of 2025 … Continue reading “Words of Wisdom From Industry Leaders to the 40 Under 40, Class of 2025”

  • Evan, Ted, and YouTube

    Evan, Ted, and YouTube

    I first met Evan Shapiro at a party in Miami hosted by former Whip Media executive Michael Sid on the first night of the NATPE show earlier this year. I was hanging out with Ed Seaman of MVD Entertainment and both of us initially thought he was in a band — think Mike Score of … Continue reading “Evan, Ted, and YouTube”

  • Indie Power

    Indie Power

    The morning after the 97th Academy Awards, Media Play News received a press release from the Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) alerting us to the fact that independent films won 15 of the 20 awards in feature film categories. Those awards went to eight films, which according to IFTA are “distinguished by their financing, … Continue reading “Indie Power”

  • Katherine Pond — Making Connections

    Katherine Pond — Making Connections

    Connected TV, or CTV, is one of the hot buzz terms in today’s streaming world.    Officially it’s simply a television set that’s connected to the Internet, either through a streaming device or because it’s a smart TV with the device built in.    But in reality, CTV means so much more than that. It’s … Continue reading “Katherine Pond — Making Connections”