Previously I’ve mentioned that the era of blockbusters is over. Maybe there’s a corollary:

Is the heyday of media and entertainment conglomerates behind us?

A panel of industry analysts and bankers discussed this and other deal making questions as part of a PricewaterhouseCoopers event here Tuesday, with several of them arguing that conglomeratization has no real benefits, especially in the digital age.

“Consolidation in the old media world destroys value,” said Laura Martin, founder and CEO of Media Metrics LLC. “They are buying stuff (and audiences) because they don’t know what else to do.”

— Media conglomerates in the past, panel says By Georg Szalai, Hollywood Reporter, 27 June 2007

Soundsl like they’re scared of the long tail and are trying to buy it up to co-opt it. Hm, why does that remind me of telephone companies?

More from Martin:

She argued that online and digital deals with a monetization rather than a traffic focus are key, citing Google as a firm that has made smart acquisition decisions, while signaling that media giants are often otherwise inclined.

Martin also said that the young technology entrepreneurs that make a difference in today’s world want cool and hip work environments. “That’s not the big media companies,” she said.

OK, that last really reminds me of telephone companies.

-jsq

PS: Seen on Creative Voices.