Cash in on
Today we’re going to talk about the English phrase “cash in on.” To cash in on something is to make money off something, usually after a period of waiting. In today’s lesson, we were talking about movie studios. They make money off ticket sales in theaters, but they also make money from streaming, discs, and video on demand. Studios have an agreement with exhibitors to release the movie exclusively in theaters for a few months.
This suits both sides. But you can imagine that studios are anxious to cash in on streaming rights as soon as possible. Studios are anxious to make money off streaming as soon as possible. Think about it: the studio went to all the trouble to finance and produce the movie. They released it to theaters and it had a good run. Now they have to wait before they can make any money off downloads or streaming. How would you feel in that situation? Studios don’t love waiting. They want to cash in on streaming rights as soon as possible. They want to make money from streaming rights as soon as possible. And remember, this is after a period of waiting.
I’m reading a book right now called “No Filter.” It’s about the history of Instagram. Kevin Systrom founded Instagram in 2010 and worked hard at it for a couple of years. He cashed in on his business when he sold it to Facebook for an eye-popping $1 billion in 2012. In business terms, that was a relatively short waiting period. But he really cashed in with that sale.
Other business owners have to wait much longer to cash in on their businesses like that. A common side business in the US is to own rental houses or small apartment buildings. A lot of homes and apartments for rent are owned by individuals, families or very small businesses. After years of managing rental properties, the owners may decide to cash in on their properties and sell them to bigger companies.
A person can cash in on his or her popularity. I mentioned the book about Instagram. It tells the story of how Kim Kardashian cashed in on her popularity by selling a line of beauty products. An Olympic athlete might cash in on his or her popularity by appearing in a lot of TV commercials. Simone Bailes is in a commercial for UberEats now. She’s cashing in on her popularity ahead of the Olympics in Tokyo.
Sometimes “cash in on” can sound negative. In the examples I’ve given, there’s nothing wrong or unethical with what the people or companies do. Selling a business, making money on movies, appearing in commercials, selling products on Instagram: you might not love the Kardashians, but there’s nothing wrong with cashing in the way I’ve described it so far.
But other times, “cash in on” can be unethical or, at least, it leaves you with a bad feeling. A popular politician might retire and cash in on his connections by becoming a lobbyist or giving high-paid speeches. Someone close to a celebrity might cash in on their connections by selling a story or photograph to a magazine. That’s a great example of “cash in on” in a negative way. Tabloid magazines are full of stories from celebrities’ gardeners, in-laws, friends from home, all cashing in on their access to or stories about the celebrity. That’s making money from a breach of trust. And in that sense, “cash in on” is not ethical.
Quote of the Week
Today’s quote of the week is by Walter Elias Disney. He lived from 1901 to 1966 and his eponymous company endures and is charging into the streaming economy with Disney+. Here’s the quote: “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
I have always liked that quote and I was reminded of it when reading about Disney+ and the way they are ramping up their content creation to match Netflix over the next few years. Disney is not passively waiting to see what streaming will do to them, as a studio. They are charging ahead with their own platform, which is already a smashing success. The company today seemed to take the advice of their namesake, Walt Disney, when he said: “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
See you next time!
And that brings us to the end of today’s lesson. Do you like the window? I’ll tell you one good thing the window does. It funnels everyone into the theater and everyone watches the same handful of movies, so you always have something to talk about with strangers. You’re always aware of the same handful of movies and you’ve probably seen one or two in common. Streaming is different: there’s so much. Each person finds the best show or movie for him or her, but we lose that common playlist of movies when there’s so much to choose from.
I’m not saying I love the small selection. I’m just saying that’s a benefit. So let me know what you think about all this in our Facebook group, which you can join at PlainEnglish.com/Facebook.
And remember there are lots of additional resources online at PlainEnglish.com/328. Every lesson has a full English transcript, completely free. And for those of you who are Plus+ members, we have translations, step-by-step video lessons, exercises, and much more. All that at PlainEnglish.com/328.
Use realistic expressions like a native speaker
