Looking ahead to the next decade, three trends will define entertainment content and popular media.
1. Artificial Intelligence (The Writer’s Room Problem) We are already seeing AI generate scripts, deepfake actors (reanimating deceased stars for cameos), and personalize trailers (showing you a romance angle if you like romance, versus an action angle if you like fights). The 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes were the first shots in a long war over who owns the digital likeness of a human and whether a machine can hold a copyright.
2. Immersive Experiences The metaverse failed, but augmented reality (AR) is taking its place. Imagine walking down the street and seeing digital graffiti related to a new Marvel movie, or attending a concert where the performer is a hologram. Apple’s Vision Pro and Meta’s Quest 3 are the test dummies for a future where entertainment is layered over physical reality. filmflyxxx
3. Subscription Fatigue We have reached peak streaming. The average household now pays for four different services. As prices rise and password sharing is eliminated, consumers are beginning to churn. We may see a return to "aggregators"—one app that searches all your services—or the resurgence of ad-supported (free) television.
Perhaps the most disruptive trend in entertainment content is the collapse of the barrier between producer and consumer. Popular media used to flow downhill: from studio to critic to viewer. Now, it is a peer-to-peer network. Looking ahead to the next decade, three trends
Enter the Creator Economy. On YouTube, MrBeast spends millions of dollars to produce game shows that rival network television. On TikTok, a teenager with a ring light can reach 10 million people in 24 hours.
This democratization has produced incredible diversity of thought, but it has also led to a crisis of quality. The market is flooded with low-effort "reaction content," family vlogs, and pseudo-documentaries riddled with misinformation. The consumer is now tasked with being their own editor, fact-checker, and critic. The 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes were the
After years of data analysis, several truths have emerged about what drives engagement in modern popular media: