
From Tony-Winning Shows to Global Streams: How BroadwayHD Is Changing the Stage
When one thinks of Broadway, they often think about the titans of the industry. With shows like Wicked being made into major movies starring massive celebrities, as well as Disney classics such as The Lion King having their own Broadway adaptations created, people are searching for ways to experience Broadway on their own terms, without having to pay for big ticket prices, or travel to shows in the first place.
Wally Sedgewick is one of those people paving the way.
As someone who has always been passionate about using data and strategy to create meaningful experiences, Sedgewick has helped BroadwayHD transition into the digital age. As a strategic executive and digital media leader, Sedgwick has utilized his deep experience in business analytics and product development from roles at major corporations to help Broadway fans around the world view their favorite productions. An Expansion into the Digital Age
It's no secret that people are more tuned into the digital world now than they have ever been before. With smartphones and even tablets equipped with cellular internet capabilities, people are able to stream their favorite programs on the go from almost anywhere. This includes Broadway productions that Sedgewick has helped curate.
"When I joined BroadwayHD, the opportunity to apply analytics in the performing arts space—especially in helping democratize access to Broadway—was incredibly exciting," Sedgewick says.
Sedgewick's emphasis on creating data-driven personalization and customer engagement has driven loyal fans to flock to BroadwayHD, many of whom rely on the platform to experience Broadway from international locations. A Transition Post-Pandemic
As much as people love Broadway musicals and plays, BroadwayHD's success wasn't born overnight. After the pandemic, Sedgewick helped transition the platform's model to one that was wholly subscription-based, and helped grow the subscriber base tenfold while driving global expansion.
"The biggest challenge was shifting BroadwayHD from a hybrid model to a full subscription-based platform, especially during changing consumer behaviors post-pandemic," Sedgewick says. "We overcame this by focusing on customer engagement insights, refining content acquisition, and building loyalty through personalization."
Sedgewick's most rewarding moments come from the messages he's received from international subscribers, many of whom could only experience Broadway productions through BroadwayHD's platform.
"It reminded me how powerful accessibility through technology can be," Sedgewick says. Sedgewick's Digital Strategies for Success
Sedgewick led the digital strategy for the Guinness World Record-setting livestream of She Loves Me. This strategy, which took place in 2016, broke the Guinness World Record for the first Broadway show to be live-streamed, and was viewed in real-time by audiences in more than 60 countries.
Sedgewick credits his background in the world of data for the livestream's success.
"I speak both the language of algorithms and artistry, which helps me translate user behavior into meaningful business and creative decisions," Sedgewick says.
Alongside his record-breaking strategy, Sedgewick was named to the 2025 Manhattan Power List by Schneps Media in April 2025. Sedgewick has also helped produce notable productions that include The Portuguese Kid, Maltby and Shire's Closer Than Ever, and Titanic: The Musical: The Film. The Future of BroadwayHD
For as much as Sedgewick has accomplished, he doesn't plan to stop here. With the platform consistently expanding, he says that he sees BroadwayHD continuing to redefine the world of digital theater, while potentially collaborating with global institutions and leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance curation.
"Personally, I want to keep championing innovation in arts access, expanding audiences while honoring tradition," Sedgewick says.
BroadwayHD is home to hundreds of productions, including those such as Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, and Cats. The platform, which is always ad-free, features the finest productions, from Shakespeare's iconic plays to Tony Award-winning blockbusters. It's a platform that has something for everyone–one which Sedgewick says "opens Broadway to the world."
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DW
27-05-2025
- DW
Beyond Trump's film tariffs: Is Hollywood really in decline? – DW – 05/27/2025
Fewer films are being made in the US. But will tariffs alone bring back productions to LA in the face of a more globalized industry? When Donald Trump announced plans to impose a 100% tariff on any film "produced in foreign lands," a globalized US film industry began to panic. Shares in major production companies like Netflix and Disney immediately fell due to an assumed rise in costs when productions can no longer profit from cheaper overseas locations. In recent decades, American films and TV series have benefited from generous tax incentives for shooting in Europe, Canada or Australia, making Hollywood locations comparatively expensive. At the same time, the film and content industry has become highly decentralized, with international co-productions able to share resources and access funding across multiple countries. 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Meanwhile, Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, an Indian actor, filmmaker and Bollywood star, said on social media that a 100% tariff on foreign movies could mean that "India's struggling film industry will collapse entirely." Is Hollywood's decline overstated? In a post on Truth Social announcing the film tariffs, Donald Trump claimed that "the movie industry in America is dying a very fast death." On-location filming in Hollywood has declined around 34% in the last five years, according to Film LA, a film industry publication. While many film workers have lost their jobs as a result, the slowdown isn't only due to incentives to shoot in foreign locations. The COVID-19 pandemic, a global economic downturn and a months-long strike by actors and writers in 2023 have also caused Hollywood to grind to a halt. The actors' and writers' strikes of 2023 had a significant economic impact on Hollywood Image:As budgets tighten, films might not be made without co-productions that take advantage of incentives in foreign regions, says Stephen Luby, a lecturer in film at the Victorian College of the Arts in Australia. "US productions which have taken advantage of tax incentives in places like Australia to make their films offshore, do so because the films are less expensive to make that way," he told DW. "Perhaps they may not get made without pursuing this pathway." While actor-director Mel Gibson is helping to advise Trump on the tariffs and ways to "make Hollywood great again," his latest film, "The Resurrection of the Christ," will be shot in Rome and across southern Italy. There is currently a slight US trade deficit in entertainment content, meaning more is imported than exported — $27.7 billion (€24.35 billion) versus $24.3 billion in 2023. But according to Jean Chalaby, a professor of sociology at the University of London, this balance is driven by streamers like Netflix who do not officially export US-made content like "Stranger Things," but distribute it internationally via their own US-based platform. Meanwhile, hit series like "Adolescence" and "Squid Game" that are acquired from overseas are counted as imports, even if they are US assets that earn Netflix "hundreds of millions of dollars" in subscription fees, Chalaby noted in an article for The Conversation. "The US-based entertainment industry has never been so dominant globally," he added, despite the trade deficit. The US also remains the world's largest film and TV exporter, even as Hollywood faces more competition from content hubs like South Korea. "If implemented, these tariffs will certainly have far-reaching consequences for the film and TV industry," Chalaby concluded. "But they are unlikely to make anyone more prosperous." 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Under the EU's Audiovisual Media Services Directive, these states can also demand that the likes of Netflix and Disney be obliged to fund local productions — which the streaming giants have tried to avoid through legal action. Others in Hollywood question Trump's tariffs logic, and his commitment. "The tariff thing, that's not going to happen right? That man changes his mind 50 times," said US director Richard Linklater in Cannes at the opening of his film "Nouvelle Vague." At that same press conference, the discussion surrounding Trump's tariffs led Zoey Deutch, who stars in Linklater's film that was shot in Paris, to praise Hollywood's history and culture: "It would be nice to make more movies in Los Angeles," she said, almost nostalgically. "I just finished doing a movie there and it was magical." Edited by: Elizabeth Grenier


Int'l Business Times
07-05-2025
- Int'l Business Times
From Tony-Winning Shows to Global Streams: How BroadwayHD Is Changing the Stage
When one thinks of Broadway, they often think about the titans of the industry. With shows like Wicked being made into major movies starring massive celebrities, as well as Disney classics such as The Lion King having their own Broadway adaptations created, people are searching for ways to experience Broadway on their own terms, without having to pay for big ticket prices, or travel to shows in the first place. Wally Sedgewick is one of those people paving the way. As someone who has always been passionate about using data and strategy to create meaningful experiences, Sedgewick has helped BroadwayHD transition into the digital age. As a strategic executive and digital media leader, Sedgwick has utilized his deep experience in business analytics and product development from roles at major corporations to help Broadway fans around the world view their favorite productions. An Expansion into the Digital Age It's no secret that people are more tuned into the digital world now than they have ever been before. With smartphones and even tablets equipped with cellular internet capabilities, people are able to stream their favorite programs on the go from almost anywhere. This includes Broadway productions that Sedgewick has helped curate. "When I joined BroadwayHD, the opportunity to apply analytics in the performing arts space—especially in helping democratize access to Broadway—was incredibly exciting," Sedgewick says. Sedgewick's emphasis on creating data-driven personalization and customer engagement has driven loyal fans to flock to BroadwayHD, many of whom rely on the platform to experience Broadway from international locations. A Transition Post-Pandemic As much as people love Broadway musicals and plays, BroadwayHD's success wasn't born overnight. After the pandemic, Sedgewick helped transition the platform's model to one that was wholly subscription-based, and helped grow the subscriber base tenfold while driving global expansion. "The biggest challenge was shifting BroadwayHD from a hybrid model to a full subscription-based platform, especially during changing consumer behaviors post-pandemic," Sedgewick says. "We overcame this by focusing on customer engagement insights, refining content acquisition, and building loyalty through personalization." Sedgewick's most rewarding moments come from the messages he's received from international subscribers, many of whom could only experience Broadway productions through BroadwayHD's platform. "It reminded me how powerful accessibility through technology can be," Sedgewick says. Sedgewick's Digital Strategies for Success Sedgewick led the digital strategy for the Guinness World Record-setting livestream of She Loves Me. This strategy, which took place in 2016, broke the Guinness World Record for the first Broadway show to be live-streamed, and was viewed in real-time by audiences in more than 60 countries. Sedgewick credits his background in the world of data for the livestream's success. "I speak both the language of algorithms and artistry, which helps me translate user behavior into meaningful business and creative decisions," Sedgewick says. Alongside his record-breaking strategy, Sedgewick was named to the 2025 Manhattan Power List by Schneps Media in April 2025. Sedgewick has also helped produce notable productions that include The Portuguese Kid, Maltby and Shire's Closer Than Ever, and Titanic: The Musical: The Film. The Future of BroadwayHD For as much as Sedgewick has accomplished, he doesn't plan to stop here. With the platform consistently expanding, he says that he sees BroadwayHD continuing to redefine the world of digital theater, while potentially collaborating with global institutions and leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance curation. "Personally, I want to keep championing innovation in arts access, expanding audiences while honoring tradition," Sedgewick says. BroadwayHD is home to hundreds of productions, including those such as Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, and Cats. The platform, which is always ad-free, features the finest productions, from Shakespeare's iconic plays to Tony Award-winning blockbusters. It's a platform that has something for everyone–one which Sedgewick says "opens Broadway to the world."


Int'l Business Times
29-04-2025
- Int'l Business Times
Asterix, Obelix And Netflix: US Streamer Embraces Gallic Heroes
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