other Paramount and Warner Bros’ Mass Media Purge Raises Fears of Lost Cultural History

[Hollywood Info]

Last June, fans of Comedy Central were shocked when Paramount Global wiped years of iconic content from the channel’s website, including The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Instead, users are now redirected to Paramount+, which only offers a limited selection. This trend of mass content deletion is becoming more common across media giants.

In June, MTVNews.com’s archives were erased, and by August, Warner Bros Discovery (WBD) scrubbed Cartoon Network’s website, removing decades of clips and shows. Under CEO David Zaslav, WBD has also shelved entire films like Batgirl and Coyote vs Acme to take advantage of tax write-offs, raising concerns these works may never be seen.

This isn’t unprecedented—studios in the past destroyed silent films for vault space, leading to the loss of over 90% of films made before 1929. Today’s digital era seems equally vulnerable. From the accidental erasure of Myspace music to unreliable digital archiving, large swaths of media history are at risk of disappearing.

Despite the internet's vast potential for preservation, it’s clear that studios prioritize short-term profit over protecting cultural heritage. Without serious efforts to safeguard media, we may be entering a new era of lost films, shows, and music. The digital landscape isn't as permanent as it seems, and history could be swept aside in the rush for corporate gain.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/comment...ywood-digital-demolition-films-tv-shows-wiped

 

[Harsh World]

One question: Is this intentional?

In 1984 George Orwell wrote, "Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book has been rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street and building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And that process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right."

 

[ActionAce]

This is one of the sad news I don't like listening to. Of course we should know that it's extremely important to preserve our cultural history. TV shows shouldn't be left behind in this as well. I wish my voice could be heard ASAP and they reverse such decisions because these treasures need to be saved.