Emerging technologies shaping communications, media, and entertainment industry

Technically, CTs affects media continuously. As we make technological advances, new

trends in communications and media emerge and often become the norm. From machine
learning, artificial intelligence, automation, 5G, data analytics, devices- mobiles and wireless,
Broadcasting, Immersive techs, Block chain, till the recent NFTs with all the applications like
chatbots, gamification, emails, social media, audiobooks, VODs, wearables…etc.; are
reflected on the media and entertainment industry.

Further reading: https://helpfulprofessor.com/communication-technology-examples/

Emerging technologies transforming the entertainment and media industry (Credit:

www.hiddenbrains.com)

Top segments in the entertainment and media industry (Credit: www.hiddenbrains.com )

Note: through out the course we will cover the following technologies:

The internet: 5G and the Wi Fi (after midterm) - Artificial Intelligence (after midterm) -
Augmented Reality (AR) & Virtual Reality (VR) – Blockchain - Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs).

This lecture we will only cover: Augmented Reality (AR) & Virtual Reality (VR) – Blockchain -
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs).

Augmented Reality (AR) & Virtual Reality (VR)

What's the Difference Between the Two?

Virtual reality (VR): A fully immersive experience where a user leaves the real-world
environment behind to enter a fully digital environment via VR headsets.

Augmented reality (AR): An experience where virtual objects are superimposed onto the
real-world environment via smartphones, tablets, heads-up displays, or AR glasses.

AR

Do you remember the Pokémon GO? That’s the most well-known application of augmented
reality—technology that overlays digital information on the real world. Rather than provide a
fully immersive virtual experience, augmented reality enhances the real-world with images,
text, and other virtual information via devices such as heads-up displays, smartphones,
tablets, smart lenses, and AR glasses.

Augmented reality is useful for more than just entertainment. Retailer IKEA created an AR
app that helps shoppers visualize what certain products will look like in their home before
they purchase them. The app overlays virtual versions of the products onto the real-live
image of customers’ living spaces. In addition to IKEA, companies in aviation, automotive,
healthcare, travel and tourism, and more are developing augmented reality solutions.
Augmented reality technology can enhance travelers’ experiences in many ways. Imagine
being on a self-guided walking tour and wanting to know details about the architecture of a
building you discover. With an augmented reality technology app, you could just point your
phone at the building, and all the details are projected in your line of sight.

Thanks to tools such as ARKit by Apple and Google’s ARCore and because smartphones
can support many AR experiences, more individuals outside of the tech industry are getting
exposed to the AR experience.

VR

Users are completely immersed in a computer-generated reality when they experience

virtual reality. Virtual reality is the most well-known of immersive technologies. While the
world of gaming and entertainment were early adopters of virtual reality, VR applications are
now used in many organizations and industries including the military, engineering and
construction, healthcare, education, business and more.

When a user puts on a head-mounted display or a VR headset, they sense—and their brains
believe—they are moving among virtual objects on a screen. Most commonly, the headset is
connected to a PC or console that enables the virtual experience. In the case of Google
Cardboard, Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream, it’s a smartphone that creates the
virtual experience, while the Oculus Go can do it all because it’s a standalone VR headset.

Virtual reality tools already help surgeons plan surgery, individuals experience a travel
destination even before they take flight, children learn in a simulated (but very real) walk on
the moon and soldiers train for combat scenarios, but the future will be full of even more VR
applications as businesses of all kinds figure out ways the technology can enhance
operations.

The distinctions between VR and AR come down to the devices they require and the
experience itself:

 AR uses a real-world setting while VR is completely virtual

 AR users can control their presence in the real world; VR users are controlled by the
system
 VR requires a headset device, but AR can be accessed with a smartphone
 AR enhances both the virtual and real world while VR only enhances a fictional
reality

AR and VR are transforming the way in which humans engage with machines, data and
each other.  The latest trends in this arena include the use of mixed reality, AI and sensor
technologies to enhance operational efficiency, execution flexibility and individual
productivity.

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality have grabbed all the spotlight in the entertainment
industry. The most promising tech innovation enhanced the connection between viewers and
content creators. Pokemon Go has set an example that lifts the power of AR and VR.
Business giants like Google and Facebook consider AR/VR to bring accessibility, mobility,
and pricing to the table. Whether it is story-driven content or live streaming, Virtual reality
and augmented reality app Development boosts the user experience like never before.
With the global pandemic changing the way we work and more than likely how we will be
working post-pandemic, virtual reality and augmented reality could offer an exciting solution
to our current challenges. Facebook for example has long been advocating for the potential
applications of this tech to transform the remote working experience. Back in May, Andrew
Bosworth, Facebook’s head of AR and VR, announced that the social giant is already
investing in “supercharging remote work and productivity” through the use of AR and VR
technologies.

The New York Times VR app is a good example of VR, and its launch was accompanied by
sending 1.2 million Google cardboard viewers to subscribers. The all-engrossing VR video
experience builds a deeper level of connectedness and empathy with news stories.

The entertainment industry is adopting AR and VR in multiple ways:

 Replaced the need for expensive keypads and delivered a fantastic gaming
experience at the same time.
 Helps in the development of media software for education and learning system
management.
 Innovate wearables for consumers who move into art galleries, museums and
present incredible artifacts with additional information and features.
Blockchain

A blockchain is a distributed database that is shared among the nodes of a computer

network. As a database, a blockchain stores information electronically in digital format. One
key difference between a typical database and a blockchain is how the data is structured. A
blockchain collects information together in groups, known as blocks, that hold sets of
information. Blocks have certain storage capacities and, when filled, are closed and linked to
the previously filled block, forming a chain of data known as the blockchain. All new
information that follows that freshly added block is compiled into a newly formed block that
will then also be added to the chain once filled.

Blockchain technology is mostly associate this with cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.

However, blockchain technology has the potential to greatly improve security in a wide array
of areas. To put it simply, blockchain is a form of data which can only be added to, not taken
away from or changed. This is where the term “chain” comes from because you are
essentially making a chain of data. It is the fact that none of the previous ”links” of the chain
can be modified that makes it so secure. Additionally, blockchains are consensus driven,
meaning no one entity can take control of the data. Therefore, with blockchain technology
you take away the need for a trusted third party to oversee or validate transactions which will
streamline the entire process.

Blockchain has the potential to transform several markets within media and entertainment,
but particularly those where participants would benefit from the security and transparency
that blockchain would offer, such as distribution of payments, funding, monetization and
contract enforcement.

1. Micropayments for Content

As content creators place media behind subscription-based paywalls, they may be missing
out on revenue from consumers who aren’t willing to pay for an entire subscription, but who
would pay a smaller fee to read a single article or binge-watch a season of a television show.

Pay-per-use consumption could become feasible thanks to blockchain-powered

micropayments. Blockchain’s ability to keep a comprehensive record of its data could allow
for more accurate tracking of when and how copyrighted content is consumed. A
micropayment pricing model would normally be inefficient to implement, but its execution
could be fully automated and cost-effective with blockchain.

2. The Elimination of Content Aggregation

The decentralized structure of blockchain could enable content creators—such as musicians
or writers—to directly distribute their work to consumers, bypassing traditional distribution
channels and leaving a larger share of revenue for content creators themselves. This could
impact everyone from large media houses to independent bloggers, helping artists form a
direct relationship with consumers.

3. Royalty Distribution

The collection and distribution of royalty payments in the music business has only become
more complex with the growth of music streaming services. Each time a song is streamed
online or played in the background of a TV show, for instance, the distributor must
compensate the music’s copyright holder—but disputes can arise over the accuracy and
compensation rates of such royalties.

Smart contracts built on a blockchain and attached to a given piece of music could add
precision, speed and trust to the process by executing contract terms automatically among
eligible parties. This would allow for more accurate tracking of a song’s usage, quicker
royalty payments and more transparency over contract terms and the division of revenue
among artists and other stakeholders. It would also likely disrupt or eliminate the role of
copyright collection associations, which currently act as centralized intermediaries in
gathering payments for rights holders.

4. Tracking Digital Marketing Campaigns

Blockchain technology provides the next step toward better tracking of digital campaigns.
Eventually, this could lead to campaigns being tracked from impression to conversion, even
as we begin to move away from cookies, unlike current tracking methods, which rely on
platforms proprietary technology, and a black box of data that we can’t see within.