Nothing captures a moment in time more than looking at the entertainment we consume. Lockdown, for example, is remembered not for the fights over wearing masks and the growing case numbers but for Tiger King, Squid Game, Bo Burnham, and other top hits from media companies.

So, what are media companies doing today? With the practical obstacles of lockdowns out of the way, have they found their feet again? This guide explores this further.

Embracing Online Platforms

Media companies are finally seeing the merit in using online video platforms. Creators on these platforms might debate whether that is a good thing, but more media companies are seeing the massive audience that was ignored for so long.

They post snippets of broadcasted or exclusive footage on social media and watch as the views come in. Many people watch their favourite entertainment from their laptops or even their televisions through an app or a Bluetooth connection, so it’s silly to ignore the audience there.

And as time went on, the ability to post quality content onto online platforms became more accessible as software and tech advanced. Media company Red Bee, for example, offers lots of streaming tools, including Over the Top (OTT) streaming, content discovery, post-production tools, etc. Many media companies already use such tools, but you can bet you’ll see more of them in the future.

This shift reflects a growing reliance on a customizable platform for OTT, enabling companies to better reach and engage their target audiences. Media firms can increase their digital presence and provide individualized content experiences by customizing these platforms to meet their specific objectives. Being able to develop and adapt to these tools is becoming essential to remaining relevant as competition heats up. The development highlights a larger shift in the industry, as technology is driving audience engagement and content distribution.

Subscriptions

There is a dilemma facing the king of streaming services right now. Netflix is losing subscribers. There are a lot of theories as to why this is, but one of them is the price – or rather, the quality of the catalogue. People are leaving Netflix and telling the company that their price is too high for what you’re getting. The secondary issue is password sharing, which a quarter of the UK is doing and which grinds the gears of Netflix higher-ups. This means that at least a quarter of the UK population is not paying for their subscription.

Netflix is looking for an alternative, one that would include advertising on its platform for a lower subscription. But the backlash has been loud, with people threatening to leave if they add ads.

Meanwhile, companies like Apple are adding subscriptions to everything. You can subscribe to music, news, gaming, TV, cloud, and fitness perks. Or you can combine them all under one Apple One subscription a month.

Media companies are perhaps shocked that the subscription option was embraced so wholeheartedly when Netflix first came about. They are now offering it on everything, from theatre to comedy to the arts and more.

The Trends

True Crime

It’s no news that true crime as a genre has taken off in the past couple of years. It might have started with podcasts. However, media productions soon caught wind, and now nothing happens without a true crime documentary.  A true crime biopic swiftly follows these. Last month, we got The Vow and Inventing Anna.  The hype is still building for The Girl From Plainville, all biopics released after their respective documentaries’ dust had settled.

Period, Ahem, “Romances.”

It started with Fifty Shades, continued with Outlander and the After We Collided series, and exploded with Bridgerton. All of these numbers originated from literature that enticed female audiences. They were eventually popular enough to be given an adaptation, with every original element intact. We predict this is just the start. We will soon see more Wattpad and A03 IPs come to mainstream streaming services.

Dating Shows

Love is Blind, Too Hot to Handle, Married at First Sight, I could go on. There is an explosion of dating shows, and they are not about to stop anytime soon.

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

As an experienced business and finance writer I understand the corporate landscape and the driving forces behind it. Over the years I’ve shared my insight and knowledge with key industry publications and dedicated my time to showing how business leaders can make their organisations more effective.