From cinema to the algorithm: the new era of audiovisual content
By: Javier García · Data Consultant at GAD3.
At times, to understand a present-day shift, it is useful to revisit the past. When the release of Heaven’s Gate in 1980 led to the bankruptcy of United Artists (the production company founded by Chaplin and Griffith, among others), it did not merely confirm the film’s box-office failure, but also symbolised the end of a particular way of making cinema. The western, a genre that had defined Hollywood for decades, fell out of favour at a time when a new generation of directors was consolidating its place and injecting fresh energy into the industry.
This episode is yet another example of cinema’s capacity for transformation. In some cases, change is forced; in others, it responds to more organic dynamics. With the potential acquisition of Warner Bros by Netflix, we are not facing a financial collapse, but rather a profound reconfiguration of the industry, one that threatens to alter the balance on which it has been built for decades.
At first glance, such a deal would place one of the most valuable catalogues in audiovisual history under a single brand: Game of Thrones, Harry Potter, Dune… It is therefore unsurprising that other players, such as Paramount, have entered the scene, joining the bidding for Warner’s legacy.
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Changes in consumption: what the data tell us
Beyond the outcome of the deal itself, what seems indisputable is that the way audiences engage with audiovisual content has changed. We are living in the age of series and streaming premieres, but also in an era of mass entertainment consumption via TikTok and other social media platforms. This shift is clearly reflected in the data.
In Spain, trends in cinema attendance confirm this transformation. Since the beginning of the century, audience numbers have declined steadily, with the pandemic marking a definitive breaking point. Although there has been some recovery since then, it remains incomplete: pre-2019 levels have yet to be reached. In fact, according to Comscore data, cinema attendance in 2025 was 8% lower than in 2024, in a context characterised by box-office concentration around so-called “event films” such as Lilo & Stitch, Jurassic World or Avatar.
This decline is compounded by a gradual drop in attendance frequency, as reported by the SGAE: while in the early 2000s people went to the cinema more than three times a year on average, by 2024 the figure stands at around 1.5 visits per person. Cinema-going has thus become a more occasional and selective experience, largely centred on major releases.
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From the spectator to the algorithm
This does not mean that audiences have abandoned cinemas altogether, but rather that they have lost their central role in audiovisual consumption — a space they now increasingly share with streaming platforms. Whereas only 39% of the population had a subscription in 2018, by 2024 that figure had risen to 64.5%, according to the Ministry of Culture’s Survey of Cultural Habits and Practices.
This sustained growth has also transformed the way stories are accessed. Fixed schedules and clear release hierarchies no longer exist: content adapts to the user. Added to this is the algorithmic turn. Platforms do not merely distribute content; they interpret the data generated by each viewer (pauses, drop-offs, replays) and learn from it. Data no longer simply describe consumption — they begin to shape it.
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Is there room for risk in the age of the algorithm?
This context invites a return to some of the ideas of cultural critic Mark Fisher, who described contemporary culture as a constant repetition of the past, clinging to recognisable formulas in the face of an inability to imagine something truly new. From this perspective, the rise of models driven by metrics and retention patterns sets clear limits.
When creative decisions increasingly gravitate towards what has already worked or what appeals to the broadest audience, riskier or harder-to-classify proposals run the risk of being left out. This raises the question of whether, in the digital ecosystem of the future, there will be space for ventures as radical as the third season of Twin Peaks or creative ruptures like Megalopolis, Francis Ford Coppola’s most personal and controversial project.
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Not an ending, but a redefinition
In this sense, the potential acquisition of Warner Bros by Netflix does not provide clear answers, but rather raises new questions — particularly regarding the future of theatrical distribution. Netflix’s usual strategy (limited releases in a small number of cinemas for short periods) introduces uncertainty about the role that the collective cinema experience will play in an increasingly personalised ecosystem.
As at other turning points in the medium’s history, this is less about an ending than a redefinition: the question is no longer only where films are released, but how, when and from what place we watch them.
