REIMAGINING THE MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT LANDSCAPE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The coronavirus pandemic in its aftermath has brought about a structural change in the media and entertainment industry. The biggest impact of the outbreak was economic, resulting in millions of job losses and closing of businesses worldwide. All forms of media and entertainment and its public exhibition have come to a halt, even if momentarily. Many newspapers have been forced to shut down their newsprint production while many turned to television channels, events wear a deserted look, and the curtains are drawn at the cinemas. Advertising revenues have shrunk, and media organizations are asking readers to pay. More readers have paid for news online since the wake of the outbreak even if it means in a few countries. In the meanwhile, a few media conglomerates worldwide continue to hold a lion’s share while throwing the local news producers to the lions. There has been a swell in online outlets and increase in the use of social media. In all this, audiences and readers are struggling to look for trusted sources and channels of news, what is real and what is fake.

The film industry has stopped collecting box-office receipts as cinemas and movie theatres have been forced to shut down after the outbreak. As a result, the film industry has migrated to streaming platforms for its new releases, rendering theatrical releases redundant for the moment. This has forced producers and distributors to rethink about exhibition. This structural change has altered the viewing experiences of audiences, a new experience feeding on a perennial supply of movies and serials on streaming platforms. There has been a rise in digital subscriptions for global online newspapers. Radio and podcasting industry have witnessed a steady rise of users during these times.

Not just the media and entertainment sector, the public relations industry, and events, have been affected severely. Every conceivable event from a family wedding to the Tokyo Olympics, has been shelved. While a few sporting leagues have resumed, live spectator sport, that it used to be, has been replaced by online viewing, much like watching movies on streaming platforms.

The objective of our first digital conference is to understand and discuss the structural change in the media and entertainment industry, brought about by the pandemic, its manifestations and how it has impacted production (creation), distribution, exhibition and importantly altering the experiences of creators and audiences. The theme would be of particular interest to scholars who keenly watch and study epochal change in the media and entertainment industry, those who want to understand new workflows, changing nature of work, practice, and process by which content is produced and media services rendered. The conference will explore and discuss the emergence of a new paradigm that could well be the next era for the media and entertainment industry and importantly how it will be looked at and studied by the academia.

Submissions may include, but are not limited to the following sub themes:

Sub Themes:

• Reporting and Journalism During the Coronavirus Pandemic
• Misinformation and Disinformation During the Coronavirus Pandemic
• Emergence of Streaming as the new Exhibition Industry
• Change in Viewing Experiences of Audiences
• New Workflows in the Media and Entertainment Industry: Cinema, Television, Newspaper, Radio, Animation, VFX, Event, etc.
• Memes and the Pandemic
• Audience perception towards change in the media landscape
• Events and Public Entertainment During the Pandemic
• Social Media and the rise of Fake news during the Pandemic
• The impact of Advertising Revenues on Media Sector
• Rise of Radio and Podcasting During the Pandemic
• Film Industry and its New Adaptations to the Pandemic
• Media convergence and its impact
• Sport and spectatorship during Pandemic
• Media subscription battle during Pandemic
• Ethical challenges in media during Pandemic Times
• Emergence and sustenance of Alternative Media in Pandemic Times

Format for Abstract Submission:

• Indicate “Abstract Submission” in the subject line of your email
•  Email should contain the following:
  • Title of the paper
  • Author’s name, designation, e-mail ID and educational institution
  • Short biography of the Author (50 words)
  • Paper Abstract (250 words)
  • Mention at least 3 keywords at the end of the abstract

Abstracts for consideration should be submitted to mimrc@manipaldubai.com  

It is expected that each person will submit only one (1) abstract. However, under no circumstances should there be more than two (2) abstracts bearing the name of the same author, either individually or as part of any group of authors. The language and deliberations of the conference are in English.

Format for Full paper submission

• Use APA Style Guide
• 12-point Times New Roman font
• All paragraphs and body text justified and single spaced
• Manuscripts to be about 5,000-7000 words (excluding tables, figures and references)
• Corresponding author contact email address should be added at the end of the paper after references
• References to be single spaced (indented after first line of reference)

Evaluation Criteria

Submitted abstracts will be evaluated based on:

• Originality, novelty, and significance
• Theoretical contribution
• Methodology

Important Dates

• Deadline for abstract submission:                   30^th December 2020
• Notification of decision:                                  15th January 2021
• Deadline for Free Registration:                        20^th January 2021
• Deadline for Full paper submission:                10^th February 2021

Registration: The Registration for the Conference is free. It will be a virtual conference.