Digital Lifescapes

The global streaming industry has spent the better part of a decade chasing subscriber counts as the primary metric of success. That era is now formally over. New market data from Omdia confirms that the industry has crossed a decisive threshold; one that shifts the competitive playing field from growth-at-all-costs to monetization discipline. For senior executives navigating media, advertising, and technology strategy, the implications extend well beyond entertainment. A Historic Revenue Crossover Online video revenue increased 13.5 percent to $176 billion in 2025, while pay-TV revenue declined 4 percent to $170 billion; marking the first time in the industry's history that streaming has surpassed legacy pay-TV in revenue terms. This is not a rounding error or a statistical artifact; it represents the culmination of more than a decade of structural disruption to the traditional broadcast and cable TV model. Global subscriptions to online video services reached 2.24 billion by the ...

While the 2025 economic outlook is uncertain, one thing is clear. The global technology sector continues to produce remarkable resilience and growth, defying earlier concerns about headwinds.  Forrester's latest worldwide market forecast reveals an acceleration in technology spending, projecting it to reach $4.9 trillion this year – a 5.6 percent increase from 2024's $4.7 trillion. This investment surge signals a fundamental shift in how business leaders across the globe are approaching their digital transformation journeys. Global IT Market Development    The magnitude of this spending becomes even more striking when we examine its composition. Software and IT services are poised to command two-thirds of global technology investments in 2025, highlighting the central role of digital capabilities in modern business operations. The software sector, in particular, stands out with its projected 10.5 percent growth rate, positioning it to capture an impressive 60 percent of g...

As an independent advisory consultant with experience across the technology sector, I've observed the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on various industries across the globe. The recent IDC market study of AI in Europe provides valuable insights. The forecast AI spending in Europe will reach $133 billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 30.3 percent, underscores the significant momentum behind AI adoption. This substantial investment reflects the increasing recognition of AI's potential to enhance productivity, drive innovation, and create new business model opportunities. Generative AI Market Development While AI itself is not a new concept, the emergence of Generative AI (GenAI) has catalyzed a new wave of excitement and investment. GenAI's ability to create content, from text to images and even code, has captured the imagination of businesses and consumers alike. The IDC market study highlights the exceptional growth expected in...

The subscription business model has been one of the big success stories of the Internet era. From Netflix to Microsoft 365, more and more companies are moving towards recurring revenue streams by having customers pay for access rather than product ownership. The subscription economy cuts across many industries -- such as streaming services, software, media, consumer products, and even transportation with the rise of mobility-as-a-service. A new market study by Juniper Research highlights the central challenge facing subscription businesses -- reducing customer churn to build a loyal subscriber installed base. Subscription Model Market Development The Juniper market study provides an in-depth analysis of the subscription business model market landscape and associated customer retention strategies. A key finding is that impending government regulations will make it easier for customers to cancel subscriptions, likely leading to increased voluntary churn rates. The study report cites the...

ChatGPT is trained to follow instructions in a 'prompt' and provide a detailed response. Prompt Engineering is a concept in artificial intelligence (AI), particularly natural language processing (NLP). While this topic has gained much attention, it's merely a sub-sector of the greater AI market upside. According to the latest worldwide market study by International Data Corporation (IDC), global spending on AI -- including the software, hardware, and services for AI-centric systems -- will reach $154 billion in 2023, that's an increase of 26.9 percent over 2022. The ongoing incorporation of AI into a wide range of products will result in a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27 percent over the 2022-2026 forecast period, with spending on AI-centric systems expected to surpass $300 billion in 2026.   AI-Centric Systems Market Development "Companies that are slow to adopt AI will be left behind – large and small. AI is best used in these companies to augment human ...

Enterprise demand for data analytics insight and IT optimization continue to drive applications for business intelligence solutions. Meanwhile, CIOs consider new use cases for neural networks, machine learning, and natural language processing. Overall spending on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the United States will grow to $120 billion by 2025, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26 percent over the 2021-2025 forecast period. Moreover, all 19 U.S. industries in the latest worldwide market study by International Data Corporation (IDC) are forecast to deliver AI spending growth of 20 percent or more. The U.S. also accounts for more than half of all AI spending worldwide. Artificial Intelligence Market Development Retail will remain the largest U.S. industry for AI spending throughout the forecast, while Banking will be the second-largest industry. Together, these two industries will represent nearly 28 percent of all AI spending in the United States in 2025 and will ac...

The traditional media and entertainment (M&E) industry continues to undergo a transformative process, adapting to customer preferences, new tech, and government regulations. Meanwhile, new direct-to-consumer online entertainment services and pay-TV cord-cutting have created disruptive challenges. These rapidly evolving trends also include handling the high volumes of data generated, complexities in audience targeting and identity resolution, and the need for deeper levels of personalization. All these changes are making artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) essential to automating many digital media processes -- including content selection, content management, media workflows, customer relations, and digital advertising. Media and Entertainment Tech Market Development According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research, the upside market potential for AI/ML revenue growth within the M&E sector will reach $16.5 billion by 2026. Personalization is becomi...

Mobile communication service providers have started to build out fifth-generation (5G) wireless network infrastructure. There are many use cases for this new technology. What benefits will 5G bring to the media and entertainment industry? One example: 5G will empower cloud-based entertainment on the go. While 2019 has seen the first deployments of 5G in the consumer domain, 2020 will be the year of large scale commercial 5G rollouts across the globe. As a result of this network investment, 5G generated revenues for cloud-based entertainment services are forecast to rise rapidly. According to the latest worldwide market study by ABI Research, 5G alone will contribute revenues of almost $1.9 billion to cloud gaming -- accounting for 42 percent of overall cloud gaming revenues, as well as $67.5 billion in cloud video -- accounting for 31 percent of cloud video revenues by 2024. 5G Edge Computing Market Development "These numbers underline the growing demand for cloud-based en...

The Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) sector has experienced numerous mergers and acquisitions (M&A) within 2018 thus far. All sub-sectors are already showing signs of upside potential as new pockets of growth fuel the Global Networked Economy. By the end of the first half (H1) of 2018, global TMT values had reached $371.1 billion and 1,693 deals, representing a 19 percent share of global M&A. The strong results nearly surpassed H1 2015 record high of $383 billion, which represented a market share of 21 percent, according to the latest worldwide market study by Mergermarket . TMT Deal Sub-Sector Analysis The total deal value in the overall TMT sector also marked a 107 percent jump, when compared to figures from H1 2017 ($179.4 billion), though the deal count fell by 53 transactions (from 1,746). Technology sub-sector accounted for the largest share of TMT’s total deal value -- 46.2 percent with $171.5 billion, while the Technology deal count of 1,329 transa...

As more companies use technology innovation to improve their scale, automation and robotics continue to generate interest among investors. Mapping and software development have significant potential, particularly as most business leaders seek to digitize their commercial operations. This trend will continue for some time. Consulting on the various types of new technology tools will also likely be an area to follow in the near future, according to the latest worldwide market study by Mergermarket . Technology, Media & Telecom Market Development Moreover, emerging applications for artificial intelligence (AI) are in vogue, and China has emerged as a potential leader in this space, with dealmakers looking to invest in startups specializing in this area. Until the Facebook data protection issue became public knowledge in mid-March, first-quarter (Q1) 2018 activity within the global Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) sector as a whole was experiencing a boost from ...

Last year may be remembered for many years to come, for a variety of reasons, including significant market transactions. Mergermarket , an Acuris company, has released its global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) roundup report of the Technology, Media and Telecom (TMT) sector for the whole year. In 2017, global dealmaking in the TMT sector saw 3,389 deals worth a combined $498.2 billion. Although total deal value fell 26.3 percent compared to the $ 676.3 billion tallied in 2016, a new Mergermarket record by deal count was set, increasing by 233 transactions over 2016 (3,156 deals) to reach an all-time high. Technology Sector Market Development The latest market trends highlight the increasing influence of technology in just about everything. In fact, senior executives in various industries have been under pressure to incorporate digital transformation projects, in order to survive and prosper in the evolving global marketplace. This has already forced company consolidations ...

U.S. West Coast technology companies are expected to remain the driving targets for M&A transactions in the TMT sector. Bidders are likely to come from American firms across the country, plus from Europe, Asia, and Canada. Though a return to huge mega-mergers are not anticipated this year, given the continued uncertainty in the political environment, software companies are still heavily sought-after assets, with deal volume expected to gain new momentum. Moreover, growing concern about cyberattacks led to an increase in interest for cybersecurity companies, with the potential for more M&A in the security technology sector. Concerns over state sponsored internet-based hacking have motivated governments across the globe to develop digital defense strategies. Furthermore, corporate data attacks via ransomware have caused a great deal of anxiety in the information technology arena. That being said, digital transformation innovations will likely continue to disrupt markets and...

The savvy CEOs anticipate that trends in 2017 are likely to follow the path of disruptive events in 2016. Change is the norm. Digital technology will continue to have a dramatic impact on legacy players in the marketplace. Technology, Media and Telecommunication (TMT) sectors completed 3,021 deals worth $698.2 billion in 2016, representing a decrease of 4.5 percent in value and 5.7 percent in deal count compared to a record 2015, while deal count remained consistent, according to the latest market study by Mergermarket . The TMT sector accounted for 21.4 percent of global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity -- that's up from 18.5 percent in 2015, and its second highest share on Mergermarket record (since 2001) after 2013 (22.4 percent). TMT Sector Market Development Deal activity accelerated towards the end of 2016, with deals announced in the final quarter of the year (683 deals, $295 billion) marking the highest Q4 value on record. U.S. M&A activity rampe...

Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity has improved in 2016, with deal value experiencing two consecutive quarterly increases, according to the latest worldwide market study by Mergermarket . Case in point: during the third quarter (Q3) of 2016, a reported 666 deals worth $179.6 billion represented a 39 percent climb in value -- that's compared to Q3 2015 (828 deals, $128.8 billion). With year-to-date activity (2,168 deals, $403.1 billion) still 21 percent lower by value when compared to the Q1-Q3 2015 period (2,410 deals, $510.2 billion), a re-balancing effect following the 2015 record high is still impacting the market. Why Market Development Gained Momentum Furthermore, according to the Mergermarket assessment, Q3 2016 strength demonstrates that some M&A deals put on-hold at the beginning of the year -- due to uncertainties about the UK Brexit referendum and the British and American central bank interest rate poli...

Online video entertainment has disrupted most legacy media companies that refused to acknowledge the market opportunities beyond traditional pay-TV services. This shift has become a global phenomenon. The impact and implications are far-reaching. Western European over-the-top (OTT) television and video revenues will more than double between 2015 and 2021. However, growth rates within each nation will vary considerably, according to findings from the latest market study by Digital TV Research. "OTT adoption is already high in Scandinavia, the Netherlands and the UK, but it has been much more muted in other countries -- such as France, Spain and Portugal," said Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research . European OTT TV Market Development OTT TV and video revenues in Western Europe will reach $14.64 billion in 2021 -- that's up from $6.40 billion in 2015. From the $8.25 billion in revenues to be added between 2015 and 2021, the UK will contribute $2.30 ...

The Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) sector has experienced a re-balancing compared to the record M&A activity seen in 2015, according to the latest global market study by Mergermarket . During the first half (H1) of 2016, 1,363 deals worth $223.1 billion represented a 41.6 percent decrease in value compared to H1 2015 ($382.3 billion, 1,580 deals), and the weakest H1 deal value and count since 2013 ($173.5 billion, 1,056 deals). Reflecting this low activity, no mega-deals (< $10 billion) took place within the Technology, Media and Telecommunications sector during H1 2016, compared to a record nine during the same period in 2015, with the highest recorded deal of H1 -- Chinese Internet giant Tencent Holding's acquisition of Finland's online gaming editor Supercell -- valued at $8.6 billion. TMT Market Development Results Following a succession of high valued deals seen over the past few years, Telecommunications M&A seems to be feeling the e...

Asian buyers increased investment within the U.S. market in 2015, particularly as the semiconductor space consolidated. According to Mergermarket intelligence, this outbound trend will continue in 2016, with the Chinese government pushing companies to upgrade technology through its "Made in China 2025" initiative. The worldwide Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) market activity during 2015 reached an all-time high with 3,021 transactions valued at $768.3 billion, that's up by 46.6 percent by value compared to 2014 ($524.1B, 2,988 deals), according to the latest global study by Mergermarket . TMT mergers and acquisitions (M&A) increased its presence in global dealmaking, accounting for an 18 percent market share of total activity, up from 16 percent in 2014, and the second highest on Mergermarket record (since 2001) following 2013 (23 percent). M&A activity targeting the Technology sub-sector (2,225 deals, $421.6B), drove overall TMT value dur...

Your brand's message is most effective when it conveys real meaning and substance. That's what people value the most, and it's been a disruptive trend. Between 1999 and 2014, 47 percent of prior known brands fell off the top '100 Leader Brands' list, according to the latest worldwide market study by PwC. While the list used to be led by Media companies, today, the most progressive Technology companies are setting the pace of change. Besides, the millennial generation are also drivers of this shift, elevating these enlightened companies to the top of the list. In today's highly social, interconnected and transparent world, people look at everything from the company's stated mission to what the company actually does -- it's well beyond a quality product or service, a striking logo and obligatory advertising campaign. The world of branding has changed; so has effective marketing communications . Meaning and Substance Drive Profit The PwC study shows...

The combined Technology, Media and Telecom (TMT) sector has continued to evolve throughout this year, as ongoing consolidation results in some huge deals. Furthermore, in the near future, we could see more private equity transactions. "Entire private equity funds have formed in recent years around a tech acquisition strategy," according to Mergermarket intelligence, highlighted by a 21.2 percent increase in the value of American technology buyouts ($32.8 billion) compared to the whole of 2014. TMT market activity during the first quarter through the third quarter of 2015 has reached the second highest annual value on Mergermarket record (since 2001) with transactions valued at $534.2 billion, only beaten by 2006’s full-year total at $600.9 billion. Compared to the whole of 2014, Q1-Q3 2015 accounts for 804 fewer deals (2,168 vs. 2,972), but has already seen a $10.8 billion higher deal value (vs. $523.5 billion), according to their latest worldwide market study. The...

Consolidation continues across the key sectors of the digital technology markets within America. According to the latest market study report from  PwC , entitled the "U.S. Entertainment, Media & Communications (EMC) Deal Insights," the second quarter (Q2) 2015 deal value reached $76 billion -- that's compared to $39 billion in the first quarter (Q1) 2015. Furthermore, PwC believes that this trend is being driven by major deals in the Cable ($63 billion), Internet & Information ($6 billion) and Communications ($3 billion) sub-sectors. The abandonment of a major Cable consolidation in Q1 2014 originally valued at $46.2 billion had opened the door for a new and even bigger proposed consolidation in Q1 2015 valued at $55.6 billion. Meanwhile, overall mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deal volume, which declined markedly in Q1 2015 (198), recovered some lost ground in Q2 2015 (208) – spurred by Advertising & Marketing (57), Publishing (37) and Internet &...