The Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports (MBA)

This second-year MBA course is primarily designed for students pursuing a career in the entertainment, media and sports sectors -- including film, television, music, publishing, video games, the performing arts, sports, fashion, and advertising -- or who plan to work in companies that advise or support those sectors. It may also be interesting for students seeking to advance their knowledge of management, strategy and marketing in the context of a challenging, rapidly changing environment. The course revolves around three questions:

1. How can entertainment businesses best allocate resources across a portfolio of projects and for one project over time? For example, does it pay to pursue a "blockbuster" strategy?
2. How can entertainment businesses best approach the management and marketing of creative talent? In particular, how should companies invest in and capture value from superstars and the teams to which they belong?
3. How are digital technologies changing the entertainment, media, and sports industries? For instance, how are firms affected by – and how can they benefit from – the increased pressure on prices and the larger assortments offered online? 

Cases focus on established and emerging firms, products, and personalities in media, sports, and other entertainment industries. Examples include Hamilton, The Walt Disney Studios, NBCUniversal, Grand Central Publishing, Beyoncé, Droga 5 and Jay-Z, Vogue, FC Barcelona, Boca Juniors, Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Lady Gaga, The Metropolitan Opera, Major League Baseball, the NFL, Droga5, Spotify, MRC's House of Cards, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, and Marquee.