The future of 2018's innovations in media and entertainment

With 2018 peaking around the corner, it's prime time to make some predictions about the future of media and the entertainment industry. These innovative spheres have seen a lot of changes and growth in 2017, and now we're all set to examine which trends we should expect to evolve in the upcoming months. Keep reading to see if you agree, disagree, or want to make some wagers of your own.

Curated content

With the drop in cable subscribers and TV watchers, film and television content is becoming far more curated. Of course, companies like Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon have been trailblazing this path for several years already. Indeed, 75% of Netflix's 109.25 million worldwide viewers select shows based on in-portal content suggestions. 

Instead of a drive behind advertising, new episodes and movies now simply appear on our video streaming dashboard, tempting us into pressing "play.” With curated content, it's never been easier or faster to capture an audience's attention.

Multi-platform viewers

Consumers aren't just watching the newest episode of HBO's Game of Thrones. They're live-tweeting it, they're checking for relevant Facebook trends, and they're chatting about it afterward on Periscope. Watching television and film content at home in your pajamas isn't a solitary activity anymore. You're inviting the entire world into your living room. Entertainment providers like Netflix know this, hence they're all over social media too, interacting directly with their subscribers. For instance, check out Netflix US's Twitter account with its 3.86 million followers and you'll see they're launching polls, posting memes, and live tweeting alongside the rest of us. The goal for these providers is to stay relevant and actively involved with their multi-platform viewers.

Bite-sized episodes

A rising trend amongst media pitched at Millennials is "bite-sized" episodes, spanning less than 10 minutes in length. These mini-videos are being serialized on platforms like YouTube, so viewers can watch an episode during their coffee break at work. Media is conforming to our hectic lifestyles, instead of asking us to clear 30 to 60 minutes of a day to tune in.

Mixed reality entertainment

As our last wager for 2018, expect to see more mixed reality media being launched. We can single-handedly thank Pokémon Go for this new entertainment craze. Pokémon Go launched to mass acclaim in July 2016, but as of April 2017, Business Insider reported that the game still attracted 65 million users per month. The game's continued success shows that consumers want to put themselves at the heart of the action, which mixed reality allows with its possibility to transform someone's everyday world into a dynamic gaming universe. Indeed, virtual reality (VR) is one of the fastest growing markets, according to Deloitte. 

Of course, with the constant evolution of media and entertainment, we're bound to see some developments that surpass our wildest dreams. Stay tuned and keep watching! The innovations of 2018 are soon coming to an electronic screen near you.