Entertainment
The entertainment industry is made up of multiple, distinct sub-markets. One way to break it down is to consider the content or activity type, for example:
Digital content, inclusive of video streaming and downloads, news access and subscriptions, audio content purchases (i.e., books, stories, music, podcasts), and video games (i.e., game purchases, in-game purchases)
Events , inclusive of events ticketing to sports games , concerts, etc .
Online gaming and betting, inclusive of sports betting, casino games, and other wager-based betting experiences
Another way to consider the market is by the key players, like Consumers, Content Creators, Distributors/Platforms, and Advertisers. In either instance, if you are an organization working within one of these markets, you offer end users access to fun and leisure, and end users have high expectations for related experiences – including payments. As a result, you must take a more systematic and intentional approach to your payments strategy.
Glenbrook supports entertainment companies to address the following common questions
How should our payments strategy support our growth strategy?
How should we support tokenization, if at all?
What fraud vectors should we be most concerned about and how do we best mitigate those?
What is the optimal team configuration to support our payments strategy?
What is the optimal architecture to support our objectives?
Are we using the right payments partners?
What orchestration approaches are most meaningful to us?
Are we exposed to churn risk? If so, how do we best manage it?
Our Clients
Gaming Companies
Event Ticket Marketplaces
Newspapers
Digital Music & Audiobook Services
Video Streaming Services
Other Entertainment Companies
Entertainment Case Studies
Resources
Articles
Glenbrook shares our perspectives on activities in the industry.
Mid-Year Payments Check-In: Revisiting Our 2026 Predictions
The Glenbrook team is taking stock in June 2026 to see how the payments trends predictions from our January Payments on Fire episode are holding up.
The Missing Context Layer in Agentic Commerce: Part 3
Glenbrook’s Drew Edmond explores the specific implications for the payments and agentic commerce industry: how discovery changes when agents mediate it, how payment selection shifts upstream, how merchants need to prepare differently across categories, and who ultimately controls the agent layer.
The Missing Context Layer in Agentic Commerce: Part 2
Glenbrook’s Drew Edmond examines why the agent’s role in agentic commerce varies significantly by purchase category, where the context layer is being built today, and how far along it actually is.
Podcasts
Glenbrook speaks with industry leaders to share a variety of perspectives on the latest payments trends and activities.
Episode 300 – Reflecting on 12 Years of Payments on Fire
2026 is a milestone year for Glenbrook as we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the firm. We also find ourselves airing the 300th episode of our Payments on Fire podcast – founded by George Peabody in 2014, nurtured by Yvette Bohanan, and now continued on through the hosting efforts of most of the team.
We thought there would be no better way to mark the 12 year achievement – and pay respect to what George and Yvette built – than to revisit the journey with clips from the first 299 episodes. From early episodes on digital currency and AI, to fast payments evolution and financial inclusion efforts (and how could we leave out tokenization), listen in as Bryan Derman and Jill Wurst guide you through significant moments in the podcast’s history.
Episode 299 – The Evolving Payments Regulatory Environment in the European Union, with Scott McInnes, Bird & Bird
In this Payments on Fire episode, Glenbrook’s Chris Uriarte and Samantha Gordon continue their global payments regulation series with Scott McInnes, Partner at Bird & Bird, focusing on the European Union.
Tune in as they explore the EU’s highly regulated landscape, the challenges of inconsistent national enforcement across 27 member states, and developments on current regulatory topics.
Episode 298 – The Patchwork of Payments Regulation in the US, with Duncan Douglass, Alston & Bird LLP
Kicking off a series of regulation-related episodes, Duncan Douglass, payments attorney and Partner at Alston & Bird LLP, joins Chris Uriarte and Samantha Gordon to turn the confusing and sometimes tedious topic of US payments regulation into an entertaining and enlightening update.
The conversation begins with who actually regulates payments in the US and how US payments oversight differs from the UK and EU, then flows into developments on current regulatory topics.
News
Glenbrook objectively curates the news to keep you abreast of important daily headlines in payments.
New Blackhawk Network Research Finds Banking Access Shapes the Consumer Payout Experience
"Blackhawk Network released new research* showing that while survey respondents expect fast access to business payouts, banking access significantly influences how they prefer to receive and use those funds. Business payouts are funds organizations distribute directly...
JPMorgan Stablecoin Launch Plan Signals Wall Street’s Crypto Pivot
"JPMorgan Chase & Co. is reportedly exploring whether to launch its own stablecoin, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. If confirmed, JPMorgan’s exploration of a stablecoin would mark one of the most notable moves yet by a global banking giant into...
Stablecoins Were Supposed to Bypass the Card Schemes. Instead, the Schemes are Positioning Themselves as the Operating System
"Stablecoins emerged with a disruptive promise: move money instantly, globally and cheaply without relying on banks, card schemes and correspondent networks that dominate conventional payments. Visa’s new Stablecoin Platform, revealed in July, gives banks, fintechs...
Ready to see how Glenbrook can support your entertainment company to be as efficient and effective as possible?