Publications | Online Platforms and Film Circulation

Academic Book Publications

Meir, C. and Smits, R. (Eds.) (2024). European Cinema in the Streaming Era: Policy, Platforms, and Production. Palgrave European Film and Media Studies book series. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. (peer-reviewed). View

Smits, R. (2019). Gatekeeping in the Evolving Business of Independent Film Distribution. Monograph. Palgrave Global Media Policy and Business book series. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 278 pp. (peer-reviewed). View
- Book review in Cultural Trends, 18 May 2020. Written by Dr. Michael Franklin (Goldsmiths University of London). View
- Book review in Journal of Communication (Galatasaray University), 30 December 2020. Written by Dr. Ece Vitrinel (Galatasaray University, Turkey). Download

Academic Journal Articles & Contributions to Edited Collections

Smits, R. (2024). Theatrical Distribution or Online Streaming? Release Strategies in Europe in Times of Disruption and Change. In: European Cinema in the Streaming Era: Policy, Platforms, and Production. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp.85-108. (peer-reviewed, open access). View
Meir, C. and Smits, R. (2024). Introduction. In: European Cinema in the Streaming Era: Policy, Platforms, and Production. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, pp.xxvii-xlix. (peer-reviewed). View
Smits, R. (2024). Reflections on the New Streaming Oligopoly: Original Productions and Delivery Strategies for Films and Television Series. The Velvet Light Trap (Reconsidering Mass Media: An Invited Dossier), pp.61-63. View
Smits, R. (2023). Disruption in Times of COVID-19? The Hybrid Film Festival Format. Cultural Trends, 33 (3), pp. 309-323. ( (peer-reviewed, open access). View
Smits, R. (2022). Circulation Patterns, Abundance and Scarcity: Film Availability in the Online Era. Media Industries, 9 (2), pp.41-57. (peer-reviewed, open access). View
Smits, R. (2022). Film Festivals and Market Intelligence: From Audience Surveys to Data Analytics? NECSUS, 1. (open access). View
Hanchard, M., Merrington, P., Wessels, B., Rogers, K., Pidd, M., Yates, S., Forrest, D., Higson, A., Townsend, N., and Smits. R. (2020). Developing a Computational Ontology to Understand the Relational Aspects of Audience Formation. Emerald Open Research, 2(5), pp. 1-17. (peer-reviewed, open access). View
Wessels, B., Forrest, D., Hanchard, M., Higson, A., Merrington, P., Pidd, M., Rogers, K., Smits, R., Townsend, N., and Yates, S. (2019). Using Mixed-Methods, a Data Model and a Computational Ontology in Film Audience Research. Cultural Trends, 28(2-3), pp. 118-131. Special issue about Audience Data and Research. (peer-reviewed, open access). View
Smits, R. and Nikdel, E.W. (2018). Beyond Netflix and Amazon: MUBI and the Curation of On-Demand Film. Studies in European Cinema, 16(1), pp. 22-37. Special issue about Corporate Agency in Contemporary European Cinema. (peer-reviewed). View
Smits, R. (2018). Tournaments of Values at the European Film Market. Arts and the Market, 8 (1), pp. 64-79. (peer-reviewed). View
Smits, R., Higson, A., Mateer, J., Jones, H.D. and D’Ippolito, B. (2018). Distributing Films Online. Workshop report. Journal of British Cinema and Television, 15:2, April 2018, pp.291-299. View
Smits, R. (2017). Film Distribution: A Changing Business. In: J. Wroot and A. Willis (Eds.). DVD, Blu-Ray and Beyond: Navigating Formats and Platforms within Media Consumption. Palgrave Macmillan, 115-134. View
Smits, R. (2016). Gatekeeping and Networking Arrangements: Dutch Distributors in the Film Distribution Business. Poetics, 58, pp.29-42. (peer-reviewed) View

A Selection of Other Online Publications (open access)

Written evidence submitted for the UK Government enquiry “Current challenges faced by the British film and high-end television industry”, initiated by the Committee for Culture, Media and Sport of the UK parliament, 14 November 2023. View
'Film Availability in the Online Era'. Interviewed by Cineuropa, 18 January 2023. View
'European Film Festivals in Transition? Covid and Beyond'. Interviewed by Cineuropa, 13 January 2022. View
'European Film Festivals in Transition? Film Festival Formats in Times of COVID'. Industry report for Thessaloniki Film Festival, 48 pages, November 2021. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.10260.42885. View
‘Stream till you drop: A conversation with Dr. Roderik Smits on the boom in VOD offers’. Interviewed by Film University Babelsberg, 5 November 2020. View
‘Coronavirus: How Hollywood Studios and Online Video Platforms are Responding’. [link]. Flow Journal, 21 April 2020. View
‘Sales agents and distributors remain equally – if not more – important to the creation and circulation of films in international markets’. Interviewed by Cineuropa, 23 March 2020. View
‘Video-on-Demand and the Myth of Endless Choice'. The Conversation, 16 August 2018. View