Harvard Business School New Program: The Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports

What would bring Sir Alex Ferguson, former manager of Manchester United (English football [soccer] club) and the most-decorated manager in British soccer history, and Brandon Marshall, Wide Receiver for the Chicago Bears (NFL team), to Harvard Business School? They will both take part (Ferguson as a faculty member and Marshall as a participant) in Harvard Business School’s unique new program for individuals in sports, entertainment, and media. The Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports is designed for senior executives in marketing, business development, and strategic planning who work for networks, publishers, music companies, or sports teams and leagues. It is also appropriate for managers, promoters, investors, and others who represent talent.

The program focuses on the challenges of developing, distributing, and marketing entertainment offerings, including talent management and entertainment business strategies. Participants take part in interactive lectures, group discussions, and real-world case studies as they study best practices and effectives strategies for film, music, publishing, sports, and television.

Topics include:

Responding to Advances in Digital Technology

-Analyzing how online distribution channels are disrupting the entertainment landscape

-Evaluating how technological advances are changing the way entertainment executives bet on blockbusters and superstars

-Assessing the role of disintermediation on current distribution models

Managing Entertainment Products and Portfolios

-Determining how to allocate scarce resources across a product portfolio

-Assessing when to bet on a blockbuster vs. a larger number of smaller “plays”

-Measuring the four threats that digital technology poses to revenue models

Managing and Marketing Talent

-Analyzing approaches for acquiring, developing, managing, and marketing creative talent

-Discovering when it pays to bet on A-list talent

-Assessing the impact of star-driven revenue-sharing models

The inaugural program will take place May 7 – 10, 2014 on Harvard’s campus in Boston.

For more information on this new program, visit their Web site at: http://www.exed.hbs.edu/programs/bems/Pages/default.aspx

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