The Metropolitan Opera Case Analysis

Metropolitan Opera Case Study Response

Peter Gelb’s “Live in HD” program for the Metropolitan Opera was a risky venture that had the potential to alienate or disappoint loyal opera-goers and be an economic failure. Its launch and initial performance demonstrated that it was a calculated risk that would most likely pay off for the Metropolitan Opera. The first simulcast was The Magic Flute on December 30, 2006. Gelb must be commended on his choice of this particular opera. The Magic Flute is a simple show that some may consider a beginner’s opera. While the “Live in HD” program was a completely novel venture with great potential to fail, The Magic Flute is a light-hearted production that has name recognition (even by non-opera aficionados) and is a reliable crowd pleaser. This initial live show garnered 21,000 viewers across 100 theatres – a success if you think that the average movie theatre probably seats about 200. Under this assumption, every theatre that was screening The Magic Flute sold the majority of their tickets. By the end of the first season the final show, Il Trittico, garnered 50,000 viewers. This steady growth in its premiere season is a positive sign for continued growth in future seasons and is certainly an indicator of success. “Live in HD” was completely different from any of the Met’s recent programming, but its parallels to these radio broadcasts allowed for a pre-existing plan that could be altered and implemented for today’s society. I would not change any part of Gelb’s strategy.