What to Expect from the Entertainment Industry This Year?

The upcoming year is poised to bring significant changes to the entertainment sector. Innovations in technology, the expansion of social media and streaming services, along with evolving consumer preferences, could push the industry towards a pivotal transformation.

“From a creative standpoint, AI has increasingly influenced the TV and film industries, where practical applications with measurable results are expected to lead in 2025,” the report mentions.

It identifies various AI capabilities that can be utilized in film and television production to enhance visual effects and streamline operations, including Runway AI’s green screen technology, stable diffusion for creating surreal scenes, and Filmmaker AI’s background removal tool, which has “simplified postproduction, enabling smaller visual effects teams to achieve high-quality results within tight timeframes.”

However, the report underscores that AI is not expected to “replace human talent.” Instead, it highlights that this technology “should only serve to augment creative efforts.”

“The 2023 SAG-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America strikes have set a clear benchmark: AI should function as a tool to assist, not supplant, human creativity,” states the report.

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Grayce McCormick, founder and principal of Lightfinder, expresses skepticism about leveraging AI in content creation. “This technology raises significant concerns regarding intellectual property and the authenticity of human creativity, necessitating the establishment of new regulatory measures and ethical guidelines,” she remarked to The Epoch Times via email.

Another catalyst for transformation in the entertainment industry is the rise of social media and streaming content distribution platforms.

Social media and streaming services will continue to play an increasingly influential role in content creation and distribution within the entertainment realm. “Social media platforms will prove to be more influential than traditional media channels,” explained Timeekah Murphy, founder of Alani Taylor Co., in an email to The Epoch Times.

“Creators will leverage this as their global stage by producing and owning authentic content for their brands. This shift is steering the entertainment industry toward a limitless creative future.”

Marketing and branding expert Vergi Rodriguez takes this a step further, predicting that streaming services will surpass traditional media distribution. “The increased prevalence of streaming will allow for greater personalization through the integration of AI and other interactive features, such as choose-your-own-adventure storylines,” she stated in an email to The Epoch Times. “Subscription models will also evolve, potentially introducing ad-supported, hybrid, and pay-per-view options.”

As streaming becomes mainstream, Ryan Schreiber, founder and CEO of Streamline Technologies, anticipates an intensification of the streaming wars in the coming year, especially with sports becoming a dominant force in the streaming arena. He noted that “2024 promises to be significant, with Netflix making a big splash in sports streaming… In 2025, the NBA rights will notably transition to streaming,” as he told The Epoch Times via email.

“Thus, 2025 seems to be the year when streaming services take control over sports broadcasting. With Netflix fully engaging in the sports arena and a significant shift in how NBA fans consume content, these developments will likely continue to undermine traditional cable.”

A further driver for change is the increasing consumer demand for quality content over quantity.

“Since the pandemic, audiences have grown accustomed to the rapid consumption of ‘fast-food’ content, binge-watching shows and indulging in excessively produced studio and streaming films,” highlighted Heather Brittain, founder and CEO at Film Festival Insider, in an email to The Epoch Times. “However, viewers are becoming more discerning and fatigued by sequels, remakes, and recycled plots. They crave innovative ideas and new perspectives. There is a renewed appreciation for indie films, which I believe will facilitate the emergence of fresh talents and new voices, even without hefty budgets.”

This appetite for originality, combined with the industry’s push to reduce production costs, could drive substantial shifts in the entertainment landscape by 2025, according to Rick Elis, founder and managing editor at AllYourScreems.com: a decline in Hollywood’s prominence.

“An increasing number of productions will relocate from Southern California to other states and, significantly, to other countries,” he informed The Epoch Times via email. “This change is primarily due to reduced production expenses outside of Hollywood and enhanced production rebates in Europe and Asia.”

Elis also points to another factor driving producers away from Hollywood: the ongoing culture wars in the U.S. “The industry’s response often seems to involve rolling back diversity initiatives in front of and behind the camera,” he stated. “This includes attempts to eliminate characters that could provoke controversy, such as LGBTQ+ characters. This reaction is likely to provoke backlash from supporters of Hollywood’s diversity efforts.”

Aaron Henry, founder and managing director of Foundeast Asia Co, highlights the growing prominence of regional content, especially in Asia, which offers both opportunities and challenges for Hollywood. “As the global demand for authentic, culturally rich stories increases, Hollywood has a unique opportunity to collaborate with local creators, explore distinctive narratives, and co-produce content that resonates with diverse audiences,” he stated.