Let's say you have $1B in profit this year and a really terrible show that cost $1B to make. You can either write it off and pay no taxes on those profits ($20

Let's say you have $1B in profit this year and a really terrible show that cost $1B to make. You can either write it off and pay no taxes on those profits ($200M saved), or not ($200M squandered) (I'm assuming 20% tax rate just to make math easier.) Also, many executives have compensation packages tied to financial metrics and they've been known to game those metrics for personal gain.