Media & Entertainment Market

Global Media And Entertainment Market Trends and Insights

Proliferation of 5 G-Enabled Mobile Video Consumption in Asia

Mobile video traffic in South Korea jumped 58% year on year during Q1 2025 after nationwide 5 G coverage became commonplace ^{[1]SK Telecom, “5 G Network Drives Mobile Video Surge,” sktelecom.com}. Average session length rose from 22 minutes to 35 minutes, giving platforms extra pre-roll and mid-roll inventory. Compression-focused apps lowered data fees and redirected savings toward premium short-form rights, strengthening negotiating power with rights owners. Advertisers testing six-second commerce clips reported cart conversions comparable with desktop display, proving the smartphone can serve both brand-building and checkout functions. The Media and Entertainment market, therefore, benefits from richer monetisation levers per minute of viewing, encouraging studios to allocate more budget to mobile-first franchises.

Surging Connected-TV Ad Spend by United States Retail Brands

One large U.S. retailer more than doubled connected-TV (CTV) spend over the twelve months to April 2025 ^{[2]Walmart, “Walmart Connect Expands CTV Advertising,” corporate.walmart.com}, corporate.walmart.com. By linking loyalty-card data to CTV exposure, the firm confirmed that targeted households spent USD 6.80 more per grocery basket than control groups. Shoppable overlays on smart TVs pushed click-through rates up almost 30% in parallel e-commerce campaigns, motivating brands to migrate budgets from linear television to streaming. Because device manufacturers now run their ad exchanges, they negotiate multi-year volume guarantees that stabilise fill rates. The Media and Entertainment market gains a higher share of retail media budgets as a direct result.

Rapid Uptake of FAST Channels in Europe

FAST channels captured 28% of total viewing hours at RTL Germany by Q1 2025 ^{[3]RTL Group, “FAST Channels Growth Report Q1 2025,” rtlgroup.com}. Prime-time CPMs on some free, ad-supported streaming television feeds surpassed rates for comparable linear slots, reversing a long-standing pricing pattern. Viewers cite curated genre feeds as a relief from endless on-demand scrolling, confirming that lean-back behaviour still matters. Local production houses repurpose vintage catalogues into themed channels, earning incremental revenue without new marketing outlays. As inventory tightens, buyers lock in forward commitments, cementing FAST’s role as a permanent fixture in the Media and Entertainment market.

Generative-AI Dubbing Accelerates OTT Reach in Multilingual Regions

A global streamer cut localisation turnaround from 45 days to 12 days by deploying AI voice synthesis for Arabic dialects in April 2025. Freed resources funded more region-specific originals, lifting the local catalogue by one-third within six months. Retention improved when subscribers toggled between Egyptian, Gulf, and Levantine tracks, demonstrating the commercial payoff of cultural nuance. New entrants now regard AI dubbing as essential infrastructure rather than experimentation. Faster go-to-market timetables enlarge the addressable audience for every new title, supporting volume gains across the Media and Entertainment market.

Heightened EU Scrutiny on Targeted Digital Ads

After stricter consent rules took effect in 2024, one social platform reported a 17% decline in European CPMs during Q1 2025 digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu. Brands reacted by shifting spend toward contextual placements on premium publishers with strong first-party data, partially offsetting the shortfall. Programmatic demand for news outlets rose, suggesting regulations may rebalance power toward content owners. Smaller ad-tech vendors struggle with the cost of parallel consent workflows and seek acquisition by larger peers. Reduced ad yields temper revenue growth in the Media and Entertainment market until ecosystem participants refine compliant targeting methods.

Piracy and Illegal Restreaming Curtail OTT ARPUs in Asia-Pacific

A regional streamer estimated that illegal restreaming siphoned off 18% of potential subscription revenue during the 2025 cricket season. Telegram groups distributed mirror links within minutes of each takedown notice, forcing constant network vigilance. The service introduced a lower-priced tier with ads and converted a segment of households from piracy to legal viewing within the first month, proving that hybrid pricing can claw back value. Nevertheless, content costs remain fixed, so margin pressure persists. Piracy, therefore, acts as a structural headwind that weighs on the wider Media and Entertainment market.

Segment Analysis

By Type: Digital Formats Extend Leadership

Digital formats commanded 45% Media and Entertainment market share in 2024, representing USD 1.33 trillion of the Media and Entertainment market size ^{[4]Netflix Inc., “Q1 2025 Shareholder Letter,” netflix.com}. Streaming platforms mix binge-worthy series with event programming, so subscriber acquisition spikes no longer collapse after season finales. Short-form video added tip-jar features in late 2024, creating micro-transaction income that cushions plateauing ad yields. Print persists in B2B niches where advertisers prize precise readership, and specialist journals limited revenue decline to single digits, underscoring the durability of expert content.

Cross-platform ecosystems prolong franchise life cycles. When a fantasy series spawns a mobile game in the same quarter, 15% of new players subsequently watch at least one episode, illustrating how content can cross-pollinate across experiences. Virtual and augmented reality revenues are smaller in absolute terms but grow quickly thanks to enterprise pilots; an architectural firm used headsets for remote design reviews and cut project cycles by 12% in 2025. Stable enterprise demand steadies headset manufacturers’ cash flow, allowing them to subsidise consumer lounges that seed future household uptake. As these dynamics converge, the Media and Entertainment market embeds digital formats even deeper across both consumer and professional use cases.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Revenue Model: Subscriptions Accelerate While Ads Remain the Base

Advertising held 52% of the Media and Entertainment market size in 2024, or USD 1.53 trillion, but subscription revenue is forecast to grow at an 8% CAGR through 2030. Bundles prove the most effective churn deterrent; a telecom operator that packaged music, video, and gaming in 2025 saw voluntary churn slip below 3% per quarter. Pay-per-view regained relevance when a martial-arts league sold digital tickets at USD 19.90, and fans later spent another USD 4.20 on backstage clips.

Blockchain collectibles open fresh merchandising channels. A basketball league’s licensed highlight platform logged triple-digit secondary-market volumes in early 2025, generating passive royalty streams. Hybrid plans flourish too; an ad-supported tier at a major streamer captured nearly one-fifth of new sign-ups within six months of launch. The growing mosaic of payment options encourages broader participation, which in turn deepens data pools for targeted monetisation. This reinforcing cycle supports long-term revenue durability across the Media and Entertainment market.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Device Platform: Mobile Dominates, Emerging Screens Rise

Smartphones and tablets delivered 40% of the 2024 Media and Entertainment market size, equal to USD 1.18 trillion. App-store operators disclose that entertainment titles generate more than half of total store revenue, confirming robust in-app purchasing power. Smart TVs are evolving into mini walled gardens; a leading device maker grew exchange income by more than one-third in 2024 as advertisers chased native placements. Desktops stay relevant for long-form creation and strategy gaming, even as casual play migrates to cloud streams.

VR and AR headsets are forecast to post roughly 15% CAGR through 2030, anchored by enterprise simulations in health care, engineering, and training. Gaming consoles enjoy lengthened cycles after backward-compatibility patches rolled out in late 2024, stabilising unit shipments. Automotive infotainment screens are now treated as additional televisions, capturing attention during commutes and reaching new daytime audiences. These platform shifts expand total addressable hours, reinforcing growth momentum in the Media and Entertainment market.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

Geography Analysis

North America accounted for 35% of the Media and Entertainment market share at USD 1.03 trillion in 2024. Live sports combined with interactive betting overlays increase effective ad inventory by extending session length. Telecom-streamer bundles distribute soaring content costs over larger customer bases, lowering average acquisition costs. Regional cable operators replicated the model in mid-2025, bringing pause-screen shopping widgets to traditional households and enriching data feedback loops that underpin dynamic pricing.

Asia-Pacific leads growth with a 6% forecast CAGR to 2030, propelled by a vibrant short-video ecosystem in China and surging vernacular originals in India. Average monthly mobile data usage in India exceeded 27 GB per user in 2024, underpinning high completion rates for regional titles. Production startups budget at least two language tracks from day one, compressing time-to-market for dubbed versions. Japan and South Korea incubate 5 G-native content formats that subsequently export across Southeast Asia, further widening the Media and Entertainment market footprint.

Europe balances a rich creative heritage with stringent privacy rules. FAST channels give broadcasters new revenue as linear ratings soften, while contextual ad tech helps offset lower personalised targeting yields. Latin America wrestles with currency volatility that squeezes ARPU, yet streaming hours continue to climb, hinting at latent upside when macro conditions stabilise. MENA platforms scaled catalogues rapidly through AI dubbing, and one service lifted its Arabic library by over 70% in 2024. As infrastructure and localisation costs decline, additional audiences come online, reinforcing the global expansion of the Media and Entertainment market.