Vertical Integration
The Wikipedia Definition:
The term vertical integration describes a style of management control. Vertically integrated companies in a supply chain are united through a common owner. Usually each member of the supply chain produces a different product or (market-specific) service, and the products combine to satisfy a common need. Vertical integration has also described management styles that bring large portions of the supply chain not only under a common ownership, but also into one corporation, as in the 1920's when the Ford River Rouge Complex began making much of its own steel rather than buy it from suppliers.
From the early 1920's through the early 1950's, the American motion picture had evolved into an industry controlled by a few companies, a condition known as a "mature oligopoly". The film industry was led by eight major film studios. The most powerful of these studios were the fully integrated Big Five studios: MGM, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, and RKO. These studios not only produced and distributed films, but also operated their own movie theaters. Meanwhile, the Little Three studios: Universal Studios,Columbia Pictures, and United Artists produced and distributed feature films, but did not own their own theaters.
From the early 1920's through the early 1950's, the American motion picture had evolved into an industry controlled by a few companies, a condition known as a "mature oligopoly". The film industry was led by eight major film studios. The most powerful of these studios were the fully integrated Big Five studios: MGM, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, and RKO. These studios not only produced and distributed films, but also operated their own movie theaters. Meanwhile, the Little Three studios: Universal Studios,Columbia Pictures, and United Artists produced and distributed feature films, but did not own their own theaters.