Since its founding in 2000, the Mallen Conference on the Economics of Filmed (and Other) Entertainment has provided a unique forum for leading scholars and industry executives to exchange insights into the economics, management, and marketing of entertainment.

This year's conference, held virtually on October 11–12 and chaired by Professor Avri Ravid (Yeshiva University, New York), brought together around 50 entertainment scholars, including first-time participants as well as long-standing members of the Mallen community such as entertainment science legends Josh Eliasberg and Morris Holbrook. The international program featured presentations from scholars from across North America, Europe, and Asia. In keeping with an essential element of the Mallen format, the academic perspectives were complemented by inspiring contributions from senior industry executives, including Jeff Korchek (Executive Vice President, Sony Pictures) and Tom Sheppard (Senior Vice President, Lionsgate).

Research presentations addressed a wide range of topics, including movie advertising and distribution, streaming economics, artificial intelligence in entertainment, and the social consequences of media consumption. MCM professor Thorsten Hennig-Thurau, together with Ann-Kristin Kupfer from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), presented their research on "Does Netflix Dry Up Our Watercooler Conversations? Social Consequences of Nonlinear Media Consumption."

Great news was announced at the end of the conference: Mallen 2027 will take place in person in Hamburg, Germany, from October 27 to 30, 2027! Next year’s event will be chaired by Professor Michel Clement (University of Hamburg) with Professor Thorsten Hennig-Thurau (University of Münster) serving as co-host, bringing the international Mallen community back together for face-to-face scholarly exchange and dialogue with industry representatives. It will be the first Mallen conference that broadens the scope of the conference and include music research findings.

We thank Avri Ravid for organizing this year's conference and look forward to helping welcome the Mallen community to Hamburg in 2027! Professors Clement and Hennig-Thurau will share more information soon!

More information about the conference can be found on the official Mallen Conference Website. https://themallenconference.org/