Media outlook 2020: 10 key trends to watch

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In this report we identify the top 10 trends in media to watch out for in 2020. This includes trends across OTT streaming, linear TV, emerging 5G use cases, AI, VR and gaming.
In the US, the streaming war is set to intensify among media incumbents. Personalisation of the user experience will be a key differentiator for players in this space. At the same time, inflated licensing spend will become the norm in 2020.
Pay TV will suffer from accelerating cord-cutting in the US. In most markets, IPTV will increase its share of pay TV and this will cast a shadow on the set-top box. Hybrid TV will finally reach the US, with targeted advertising being the main benefit.
AI and 5G will also make their impact felt in the media sector. AI will see pervasive use across the media workflow from creation and capture to playback, while 5G enabled remote and enhanced production will be used more in outdoor venues. However, VR will continue to be on hold, but recent developments by Facebook could help change this.
Meanwhile, gaming will move to the cloud but consoles will remain relevant. 5G will also benefit cloud gaming through latency mitigation.
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