Re-Engineered Home Entertainment Forecasting Models

In an everchanging market landscape, the importance of Forecasting models has never been so great. Leveraging results for Budget Planning, Market Strategy and to advise on Release Strategies, maximizing output accuracy and efficiency is crucial.

Joining the Business Insights team in 2019, I inherited a process which had been unchanged and unchecked for a considerable amount of time. Challenging inefficiencies and pre- conceived misconceptions, I leveraged the inhouse development team to begin engineering new models and new interactive platforms.

In a Financial business unit, it is common to see an extensive reliance on Modelling in Excel, along with labyrinths of folders and cluttered version control processes. The original forecasting process required collaboration from four teams with multiple intersections of manual data migration; equating to approximately 20 different spreadsheets per month. After identifying the pain points of the current process and understanding the use of output, the redesign commenced.

Tweaking multiple iterations of the model formulas, adding new elements and stripping back others, the end product has been commended for its efficiency and improved accuracy. In a 4-month period, the forecasting process for Theatrical Release titles has undergone a complete reconstruction and is more powerful and efficient than ever before. Leveraging automatic data feeds, combining multiple data sets and improving the visibility of market movements, the model update has not only improved efficiency but also accuracy.

The final stage of the model has been completed with three months of partial production producing excellent results. Acknowledged for its presentation and visualization digestibility, the model has reduced required resource by days and improved visibility and collaboration across multiple business units to date.