Cultural Digital #243

Research, online collections, award winners, and more…

May 15, 2026

Hello

This week, we’ve got Broadway numbers, some interesting bits of research, fluffy cows, and people waving trophies about.

I ended up chopping out a load of AI-related news and links from this edition because there was so much other stuff. So prepare for a bumper edition of that sort of thing next time out.

Anyway, let’s get on with it.

Chromulume visualises Broadway theatre sales data (did you know they publish numbers every week?). It’s quite good fun picking through it.

Findings

Filmed theatre and UK audiences. The National Theatre commissioned Indigo Ltd to do some research. They found that “Filmed theatre helps increase opportunities for both current and new audiences to experience theatre”.

The hidden cost of unplanned digital work. Early insights from some research Ash Mann is doing. If you wish more people understood how much effort you’re putting in, there’s still time to take part.

Online collections

The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports Art UK’s major initiative to open up the UK’s national art collection.

Heritage 3D Data at Risk project awarded National Lottery Heritage Fund grant. Developing a strategy for long-term access and storage of heritage 3D data.

Getty Images and Little Dot Studios partner on YouTube Original created entirely from Getty Images collections. “The first time a YouTube Original programme has been produced exclusively from Getty Images licensed visual content, showcasing how rich archives can power high-quality, rights-cleared storytelling at scale for digital-first audiences”.

Remixing the archive: what we learned from inviting everyone in. To celebrate 500 years of the Estonian book and written word, the Estonian National Museum asked “What would you create if you could remix cultural heritage on your own terms?”

Award winners

TheTicketingBusiness Awards 2026. With lots of digital/tech nominees across the various categories.

Museums+Heritage Awards 2026. Including ‘Best use of digital’ in the UK and internationally.

Other

How the National Park Service became a social media behemoth. “From Fat Bear Week to “fluffy cow” bison PSAs, the agency is reaching millions of followers through “edutainment.”

Can’t Get Much Higher. “If you’re looking for weekly, data-driven analyses about the musical trends of yesterday and today, then you’ve come to the right place”.

The Measurable Impact of Structured Data for the Discoverability of the Performing Arts. Adding structured data to event pages has a quantifiable impact on both search engine results pages and web traffic.

National Digital Forum 2025. A playlist of all the talks. Lots of good stuff in there.

Cultural Digital