SXSW ‘Future of Content’ Session Predicts Netflix Will Add Ads, New TV Series Volume to Top 2,000 This Year
variety.comCynthia Littleton Business EditorNetflix is going to ride the gaming rocket. TikTok is just getting started. The metaverse is real and so is the threat of the regulatory ax swinging against Big Tech in the aftermath of this year’s mid-term elections.Those were among the key conclusions about what’s ahead for media, offered up Friday morning in the Variety Intelligence Platform-hosted “Future of Content” presentation that helped kick off the SXSW festival and conference in Austin, Texas.Andrew Wallenstein, president of Variety‘s subscription data service Variety Intelligence Platform, and VIP senior media analyst Gavin Bridge outlined their vision for the contours of the media and entertainment business in the near future.
The pair went deep on the state of the pay TV marketplace amid its transition to streaming, a movie business coming off the ropes after COVID and the rise of video gaming, particularly mobile gaming and E sports, as a massively mainstream entertainment option for a broad range of demos.
The data-heavy presentation touted some eye-popping numbers, including the expectation that 2022 will see more than 2,000 new scripted and unscripted series launched in the ever-expanding global TV universe, up from 1,923 in 2021.
Bridge noted that last year marked the first time that major streaming platforms ordered more content overall than traditional linear networks and cablers.“We’ve reached the tipping point,” Bridge said of streaming’s ascent.But at the same time, there’s a larger movement happening that makes the focus on new versus old irrelevant.“We see it as one converged industry,” Wallenstein said. “At the end of the day, media and tech are all about going after mindshare and attention.
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