In Sync: Content + Services + Devices

The entertainment experience is undergoing rapid transformation and premium entertainment experiences continue to become more and more mainstream with the release of new devices, services and titles. Experiences that were exclusive to the cinema or required top dollars to set up in the living room are now available at easy to access price points and form factors like smartphones, tablets and connected TVs.

Consumer devices have evolved very significantly over the past few years in terms of the audio and video experiences they are capable of delivering. Today there are more UHD/4K TVs being shipped than non-UHD TVs. And these TVs are now capable of delivering HDR videos that can display ultra-vivid images with incredible details. Smartphones come with HDR-capable OLED screens and immersive audio capabilities to deliver spectacular experiences on-the-go. Headphones are equipped with head tracking technology to improve positioning of sound. Data networks and connectivity continue to evolve; 5G is now transforming both the delivery and type of entertainment content being delivered. These enhancements are now becoming available in devices at mainstream price points and accessible globally.

Today devices are being upgraded every 18-24 months, to provide better screen resolution, video definition and sound quality. The recent Wakefield global consumer research across key markets, conducted during the pandemic revealed that in some markets up to 96% consumers had recently upgraded or were planning to upgrade their devices that they consumed entertainment content on. Also, a recent consumer research by CMR in India showed that for the first time, consumers were prioritizing audio quality as one of the most important factors in their next smartphone purchase – over camera and battery life. The entertainment experience is becoming more important than ever before to consumers.

With the pandemic, people are spending more time at home as working remotely and staying indoors have become the new norm. With these changing times, the content consumption behavior of consumers has also witnessed an exponential change as the homebound work & leisure economy has led to a significant rise in online content consumption. People are consuming content across screen sizes and devices including smartphones, tablets, laptops, or televisions. People are consuming more content whether it is music, episodic content, gaming, podcasts, or even UGC.

This increased content consumption on more capable devices is also leading to an increased demand for content with higher audio video quality. The Wakefied study also revealed that in some markets up to 90% people had increased their spending on entertainment content, by up to 48% in actual subscription costs. And also up to 94% were willing to spend more for a premium subscription for enhanced audio and video quality.

To continue building on this momentum and growth in entertainment content consumption and to ensure utmost consumer delight, it is essential for the confluence of content + service + device to evolve together. It is imperative for brands to provide solutions across device categories to win consumers’ attention. Having a robust content strategy and working together with all players in the ecosystem in better alignment is critical. True innovation will emerge with content leveraging on technology as devices continue to evolve and improve rapidly.

by Pankaj Kedia, MD, Emerging Markets, Dolby Laboratories

Categorised in: Blog

This post was written by Dolby Laboratories