Exponential advances in technology have changed entire industries, especially over the past 10 to 15 years. In media and television, for example, the likes of Netflix, 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:Amazon Prime, Disney, and other digital channels or streaming services have acted as massive 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:disruptive forces.

Given the rapid pace of 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:technological change, the landscape will continue to evolve and look completely different a decade from🅠 now. Let's look at three 𒅌trends that are likely to develop over the next 10 years in the entertainment industry.

1. Freedom to Choose

The cable TV industry has traditionally featured a lineup of popular channels that customers purchase as packages. The 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:bundling of channels gives consumers the option to buy a combined package, which theoretica🍌lly costs less than buying each chaꦍnnel separately.

For years, 𓄧this business model thrived. Then streaming services such as YouTube, HBO, Hulu, Netfl🌄ix, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime showed up, offering huge libraries of content at lower prices and with zero or very little advertising.

These developments stripped cable TV companies of millions of customers. If they don't adapt and meet today's consumer demands, which is shaped by the current marketplace, they risk losing more of them.

Streaming Providers

The trend in the entertainment industry is to provide consumers with more choices—whether it's to watch live TV, last night's favorite 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:reality TV episode, or binge-watch a full season of a ♛past or present show. The influx of streaming ser🎉vices has shaken up the entertainment and cable industry, bringing consumers a greater variety of entertainment, including on-demand TV shows, movies, and original content.

Netflix is the most popular streaming service, followed by Amazon Prime, and Disney+. The number of people signing up for these platforms keeps rising, particularly following moves to offer cheaper plans containing advertisements. Amazon, meanwhile, has managed to get 200 million people to subscribe to Prime by bundling it with various other benefits, including quick and free delivery on items ordered on its website.

Cord Cutting

Cable and satellite TV providers lost over 20 million subscribers in the U.S. since 2014 and many more of their customers are expected to follow suit over the next few years. By 2026, it is estimated that 80.7 million U.S. households will cut the cord, which represents about 60% of the population.

The high costs of cable and satellite TV are a major driver of this exodus. Streaming platforms often offer better content at a lower price as well as less or no advertising.

Unbundling

For years, everyone was talking about 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:unbundling—letting people consume entertainment content on their terms and pay for only the channels they want. Now, the latest buzzword is "the great re-bundling,” with services merging or combining in a bid to offer more than the competition and tempt customers to jump ship.

An example of this is Disney, which over the years has bought Hulu, the ABC network, ESPN, National Geographic, Pixar, and Marvel Entertainment. As a result of many timely acquisitions, Disney can provide a wide range of entertainment choices for its customers. However, there are also some choices. For example, subscribers can pay for just Disney+ or choose to add Hulu and ESPN separately.

Customers are demanding more flexibility and because there is a lot of competition, the providers, whether they are streaming websites or cable TV companies, must listen.

2. Commercials Become Antiquated

Streaming services are beginning to introduce commercials into their 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:business models but not to the same extent as cable TV companies. They offer the option to pay more and not see them. And customers who do opt for ads in order to pay less, have to put✃ up with much shorter commercials.

These days and increasingly in the future, advertising is being achieved in different, more subtle and effective ways. Before, advertising was targeted based on the expected demographic of the TV program. Now by tracking individual browsing activity, it's possible to get a much better idea of the viewer, which is much more valuable to advertisers.

In the future, traditional cable providers are likely to completely become subscription services and offer similar viewing experiences to the streamers that threatened to put them out of business. A hybrid model may be available 10 years from now, in which a subscription service is combined with smart advertising. In this scenario, rather than having three-minute commercial spots during a 30-minute television program, TV programming may change to one where a consumer will be required to have a monthly subscription so that they can view targeted 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:banner ads. This type of advertising already occuꦇrs on the internet, and the amount of data television c꧒ompanies collect allows them to do much the same.

Advertisers are also likely to look to boost engagement from their ads. For example, TV advertisers have turned to 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:second-screen advertising, which drives viewers to their mobile devices—or second screens—to engage with the company's website duri🔜ng the live program. For example, an ad might run during a live-TV event, encouraging viewers to sign up for a promotion or sale via the company's website, using their mobile device.

3. More Interactivity

TVs are becoming much more interactive. In 2024, smart TVs are a fixture in most hous♐eholds, allowing people to stream videos and music, br⛎owse the internet, view photos, and so on.

The next developments expected to arrive are equally groundbreaking. Companies such as Meta (formerly Facebook), Google, and Microsoft have all developed 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:virtual reality technologies. Within the next 1🔥0 years, traditional television screens are likely to make way, at least in part, for v💃ariations that pair with virtual reality (VR) eye-wear and headsets.

Other advancements we could see include being able to place bets during games with a remote control or voice, artificial intelligence paving the way for better recommendations, and greater customization, such as, for example, the ability during sports games to curate your own replays and bounce back to live footage whenever you want.

The Bottom Line

The way people view▨ television has changed substantially over the past decade. A wave of new competition and continued technological advancements are shaking the industry up, forcing TV companies to adapt and make more effort to please consumers. The upshot is expected to be greater choice and flexibility, fewer commercials, and more interཧactivity.