Research into the role of the Internet in the distribution and marketing of film

Arguably the rise of digital technology and internet use is having a negative effect on the distribution of independent films because it is taking over the conventional ways of publication, putting pressure on low budget independent productions who are not able to compete at this level. 

Big production companies then dominate the box office, leaving little to no room for independent films to gain screen time. This is because the big companies have the resources to publicise their productions on a larger scale than independent companies, therefore the general public demand what they are being led to want, what they see the most, and this happens to be the bigger movies because they are advertised on a larger scale. To make money cinema's need to put on movies that the audiences want to see, so independent films are pushed aside. 

The internet has expanded the audience consuming media, but at the same time it has had a negative effect on the media industry. 
Piracy was always a nuisance before the internet revolution, but now it has blown up massively with thousands of online pirate sites and illegal downloads it is even harder to manage. Game of Thrones is a massive franchise, but is the most illegally downloaded series, due to its popularity, however as a result Game of Thrones is missing out on a lot of money. 
And this is is now evident across all forms of media, including music, films and much more. 

This is an interesting article surrounding the issue:
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/aug/14/robert-levine-digital-free-ride

I have researched into the role of the internet concerning distribution and marketing of films because it is important that I understand the industry that I will release my documentary into so that I can distribute and market my final product in the best way possible. By releasing my final product online it means that I will not have to compete with the big blockbuster movies. Using the internet also means that almost anywhere in the world has access at any time to my documentary opening up my potential target audience. 

I have learnt that the media industry is constantly changing because of fast pace advances in technology. 

In the case of my documentary I feel that advances in technology have aided the production and distribution of my product because I can upload my final film online for a global audience for free.