This is a very timely intervention in the growing field of distribution studies that puts the circulation of specialist content at the centre of the discussion through a thorough and historically situated examination of both the disruptions and continuities brought about by digital distribution.

Virginia Crisp, Reader in Media Industries and Cultures, King's College London, UK

With energetic prose and detailed analysis, Elliott W. Nikdel rightly punctures the zealotry around ideas of disruption and democratisation in the streaming era. By taking a historical view informed by empirical documentation of specialised film distribution in Britain and beyond, he instead shows how today's distribution environment is marked by both continuity and change. Pointed yet nuanced in its arguments, Distribution Evolution is required reading for anyone interested in the past, present and future of film and media distribution.

Evan Elkins, Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies, Colorado State University, USA

A smart corrective to the streaming industry's narratives of disruption and unlimited choice, Elliot W. Nikdel deftly draws our attention to areas of continuity in the distribution of film and television, providing important historical and critical context for the landscape encountered by contemporary audiences and contributing thoughtfully to the study of media distribution as a locus for important choices and infrastructures that shape our access to culture.

Joshua A. Braun, author of This Program is Brought to You By… : Distributing Television News Online (2015) and co-editor of the Distribution Matters series