As technology, telecommunications and media come together, the media and entertainment industries are experiencing business model disruption on an unprecedented scale. From music producers and film makers to television broadcasters, newspaper editors and book publishers, executives are having to rethink their commercial propositions. The response? Some are heading back to school.

“We see an incredible increase in demand from media and entertainment executives, not only in our executive programmes but also in the MBA,” says Sandra Sieber, professor and chair of information systems at Barcelona’s Iese business school, which runs a course called Advanced Digital Media Strategies.

Prof Sieber also reports a growth in the number of media companies – once only a small proportion of the school’s recruiters – coming to Iese’s campus to find students with business skills as they realise that they can no longer develop the talent they need from within their organisations.