Trends Report 2016 – Entering the Age of Experience

We are now better equipped to face the profound changes occurring globally as a result of the digital revolution.

For the content industry in particular, this includes a better understanding of the dramatic paradoxes that were discussed in the previous edition of Keytrends:

• Users pay less attention though they have more choice.
• Despite much more fluid circulation of content across international markets and the greater potential for diversity to shine, globalization of tastes is supplanting cultural differences.
• Democratization of the media opens the content sector to newcomers. But the reaction – concentration and integration by major industry players – creates monopolies and barriers to entry.
• The digital sector is increasingly automated and dominated by algorithms. Yet we are witnessing refreshingly creative TV narrative and the emergence of new types of online content, formats and presentation lengths.

Consumers are behaving differently and have ever higher expectations. An insatiable appetite for content has propelled us into the future, driving technological innovation and generating demand for more robust infrastructure and integrated digital ecosystems. As the world continues to change, industry players are strategically venturing into digital technology with more experience under their belt. And with this experience comes the awareness that another experience, the User Experience, needs to lead content creation and distribution today. The User Experience – how individuals perceive, respond to and interact with the content they consume – is what’s driving the ever growing connection and interdependence between content and technology.

Six key trends

This report explores the premise that we are entering into a new phase. The industry has gained a greater command of digital culture and technology, and multiple players are benefiting more often from emerging opportunities. The environment, though, has not yet attained maturity, let alone stability. Today’s content market reflects the underlying influence of digital technology and its benefits. With our customary six key trends as a framework, we invite you to explore the following topics:

1. Always On: The “All-Smart-Things” World Is on Our Doorstep
2. Screen Convergence: Mobile, Mobile, Mobile…
3. Transmedia: Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Take Off
4. The Power of Many: Is the Generational Gap Materializing?
5. Monetization: Fragmentation and Challenges to the Advertising Model
6. The Big and the Agile: Big TV and Big Tech Dominate, yet Niches Could Be the Next Frontier