While Oscar fans spent Monday checking their pools to see if they picked more winners than their friends, I was wondering whether statistics experts did a good job forecasting the results. [cont.] Harry Enten, The Guardian Read more »
Giving Viewers What They Want
… In any business, the ability to see into the future is the killer app, and Netflix may be getting close with “House of Cards.” … Film and television producers have always used data, holding previews for focus groups and logging the results, but as a technology company that distributes […] Read more »
The Oscars Number Crunchers
… After quantitative predictions did well in forecasting the U.S. presidential election last November, many similar ones have sprung up around the annual film awards ceremony. Sarah Sluis, assistant staff editor at Film Journal International, thinks these forecasts have appeared on the scene because this year’s race is relatively unpredictable. […] Read more »
Oscar Predictions, Election-Style
Twice before, in 2009 and 2011, I sought to predict the Academy Award winners in six major categories based on a mix of statistical factors. My track record? Nine correct picks in 12 tries, for a 75 percent success rate. Not bad, but also not good enough to suggest that […] Read more »
The Split Screen on Oscar Movies
… As is often noted in Washington, the film business is more than just another widget-producing industry; it is a key player in making and defining American culture – and politics. Directly and indirectly, Hollywood and the film industry are very much a part of the nation’s political divide, and […] Read more »
Republicans Like Golf, Democrats Prefer Cartoons, TV Research Suggests
It sounds like a cliché, but if the results of a TiVo-based research study are to be believed, registered Republicans are very interested in golf. As for registered Democrats, they seem to be partial to cartoons. And Republicans tend to watch N.C.A.A. basketball, while Democrats prefer the National Basketball Association. […] Read more »