Technology is a key driver in the entertainment industry, impacting everything from marketing to content delivery to streaming media to virtual reality to iGaming to gaming to music, among other content users consume.
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In this read, we’ll be going through five interesting trends in the entertainment sector, which affect how people consume entertainment content now and for the remainder of the year:
Artificial intelligence (AI)
AI will continue to impress and transform the entertainment industry, as we’ve seen in the past few years. However, we can expect to see three core growth areas due to artificial intelligence: personalization, content automation, and recommendation. These improvements can be seen in streaming platforms like Netflix, which carved out a new system of discovering and consuming entertainment content. In addition, more streaming platforms are joining the AI bandwagon to get better recommendation systems for their audiences. In addition, Netflix revealed that about 80% of their content delivery is dependent on recommendations and will look to improve the statistics in 2022.
In terms of personalization, live casino online is another area of the entertainment industry that has benefited from artificial intelligence. Casinos use AI to monitor and analyse users’ activities based on their accounts. This way, they can create a better usability structure that allows for even greater ease of access, such as virtual reality or live streamed games. With AI, users can look forward to personalized landing pages that meet their needs and highlight their favourite games for easy access. So, when compared to traditional brick and mortar casinos, online casinos offer individuality, convenience, and accessibility unlike any other.
Artificial Intelligence also comes into play in automating content. For instance, AI often generates thumbnails and previews from the music of movies to create snippets that appeal to a large audience.
Cloud Gaming
Of the many entertainment trends ongoing in the gaming sector, cloud gaming is the hottest of the lot. But it’s by no means the only interesting one. The launch of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X in 2020 is a trend yet to die off, as is augmented reality and virtual reality, which continue to grow by leaps and bounds. At the same time, mobile gaming is at an all-time high, and eSports are gaining traction.
But what makes cloud gaming a unique trend among others in the industry is its potential as the future of gaming. The total number of gamers in the world totals 3.2 billion, but fewer than that have the hardware and software to play current-gen games, which require higher device specifications. With cloud gaming, games are streamed; thus, the need for sophisticated hardware is removed, and games can be played on just about any internet-enabled device, such as smart TVs, smartphones, or PCs. As a fairly recent technology, the future isn’t all smooth sailing for cloud technology, but it’s a bright future we can all look forward to nonetheless.
Social Videography
Social media platforms are always at loggerheads to usurp the attention of users. YouTube remains the undefeated king of video content—a throne that other rival brands covet. Facebook created Facebook Watch, which rakes in 1.25 billion viewers per month. The numbers are decent on paper but remain lacklustre compared to other platforms like TikTok, which exploded into the limelight and still is a favourite.
However, it doesn’t matter which platform comes out on top. It remains that social media is one of the biggest trends in the entertainment industry. With 5G technology poised to expand in 2022 and subsequent years, we can anticipate a future rife with streaming and video sharing. In turn, social media usage will rise with internet speeds.
Hallyu Goes Mainstream
Hallyu refers to the recent widespread interest in Korean (South Korea) culture and entertainment worldwide. The trend showed subtle signs in Asia during the ’90s, but the winds have since blown it West, where it has ballooned into the limelight. The year 2020 gave us the first movie in Korean language to be nominated for and win the Oscar category for Best Picture—Parasite. The year 2021 gave us Squid Game, which was all many could talk about for months. The series would go in to break several Netflix records. By 2022, interests have widened to include eating sports, such as mukbang and others. Platforms like Twitch and YouTube are rife with videos and streams of people attempting the food challenge. Finally, K-pop seems to have international audiences all figured out, with some of their best acts finally attracting attention from other countries outside of Asia.
The Creator Economy
In conclusion, one of the strongest trends that continues to devalue mass-market, mainstream, and traditional entertainment media is the community-centred, niche, and personalized creator economy. To remain relevant, many mainstream entertainment providers are rebranding their celebrities and stars as influencers, taking after the likes of Twitch, TikTok, and YouTube.
On the other hand, creator-centric platforms continue to flourish with short-form content that facilitates deep connections between influencers and creators and their viewers. For instance, in 2020 alone, creators received about $1 billion from fans through Patreon. In 2021, the donations doubled to $2 billion. It’s expected that 2022 will continue the growth trend. This statistic also proves that audiences would rather connect with their favourites directly than through platforms and networks.