Movie Industry Themes #7 Film is Now a Digital Media

Post-Theatrical Economics

As of 2025, the film industry no longer treats digital distribution as secondary—it is the new default. Subscription fatigue led to the rise of AVOD (ad-supported video on demand) and FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) channels. Major players like Roku, Tubi, and Pluto now compete alongside Netflix and Hulu for both viewers and premium ad dollars.

This shift has financial implications. Filmmakers and rights-holders must think in terms of long-tail revenue, cross-platform licensing, and metadata optimization. Marketing budgets are now more algorithmic than artistic. Film is now a digital media, which has changed all aspects of movie shooting and post production, enabling global distribution, cell phone viewing and creating unforeseen consequences.

The line between "film" and "content" continues to blur. And while cinephiles lament the loss of theatrical prestige, the upside is access—audiences around the world can discover films they’d never have seen in a pre-digital world.