The entertainment industry is at a crossroads in 2024. Legacy TV broadcasting services have long succumbed to the acceleration of new technologies and now our satellite and cable-based viewing habits have finally lost the battle for popularity against streaming platforms in the US. With 5G around the corner, entertainment will never be the same again. This streaming ‘flippening’ event took place in 2022, according to a Nielsen report. “In July, streaming amounted to 34.8% of the share of total TV consumption, a growth of nearly 23% within the past year,” the annual report stated. “Cable and broadcast viewership both dropped year-over-year, with the former amounting to 34.4% and the latter making up just 21.6%. Both fell around 10% compared to July 2021.” This change in viewer habits represents the rapid rise of digital transformation in the television landscape. Just a decade ago, satellite and television were entertainment behemoths while streaming services like Netflix were still building momentum and Amazon Prime was yet to launch. Today, we’ve become accustomed to streaming apps providing the majority of our favorite series, and new players like Disney+ and Paramount Plus providing access to vast libraries of shows old and new.
As the power of 5G connectivity becomes harnessed by the streaming world’s leading apps, viewers can expect a revolution in how shows and movies can be watched-particularly on the go.
Harnessing the Power of 5G
By now, you’re likely well aware of 5G, but what does it actually mean? 5G is the name given to the fifth generation of mobile connectivity, which offers far greater download speeds and lower latency rates, more comprehensive support for devices, stronger flexibility, and better reliability for a vast number of purposes. How can we quantify the difference between 5G and its precursor? While 4G reached download speeds of 1Gbps (gigabyte per second), the goal is for 5G services to increase tenfold to offer 10Gbps speeds. Such a rapid acceleration would pave the way for immersive rich media, significant levels of transformation in cloud computing, the rise of autonomous technology, and the potential for smart cities emerging in the future.
In terms of entertainment, 5G has the potential to drive our viewing habits far beyond the confines of the traditional satellite and cable services that ruled the roost just a decade ago.
The Next Generation of Streaming
Perhaps the clearest implementation of 5G in the immediate future will be the enhancement of streaming services. With faster data speeds and lower latency, platforms like Netflix and Hulu will be capable of offering more high-quality content without the threat of buffering or other factors that could slow services down. 5G also brings greater network capacities that enable more ultra-high-definition (UHD) content for fully immersive streaming experiences. This is likely to be just the beginning of what 5G can offer in terms of streaming entertainment.
The introduction of buffer-free UHD content can pave the way for a more seamless integration in 3D streaming services, and even mixed-reality experiences. The next generation of connectivity will also help to improve the accessibility of streaming services to everyone, even in rural or remote areas.
The Return of Social Viewing
5G will also be capable of improving existing satellite, cable, and 4G streaming experiences for viewers. In a world that’s becoming more intrinsically connected to social media, 5G has the power to leverage more viewing experiences in a social setting. Through the use of integrated technology, we may soon see streaming services offer real-time entertainment experiences such as live or on-demand concerts, movie premieres, sporting events, and multiplayer video games that friends or competitors can experience together on a remote basis.
We’re already becoming accustomed to seeing international artists performing in metaverse environments like Fortnite, Roblox, and Meta, and 5G can empower more users to experience similar digital events as part of their streaming services.
Greater Personalization
Another key advantage that 5G supplies streaming services over traditional digital viewing comes in the form of personalization. For customers and businesses alike, personalized ads can help to bring relevance and build better viewing experiences. Today, more streaming services are warming to the notion of incorporating ads into their packages, and we’re likely to see advertising become commonplace in one form or another in the future of entertainment services.
However, 5G can help to make ads more intrinsic and personalized. If the age of the two-minute advertising breaks is far from over, at least we can be treated to a bespoke range of ads that offer relevance based on our viewing behaviors and online profiles.
The Future of XR, VR, and AR in Streaming
As we’ve touched on, 5G connectivity can also help streaming services implement their extended reality (XR), virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) experiences in the future to compete with the rise in metaverse social viewing events that are largely centered around concerts and other large crowd experiences at present. The high-bandwidth performance of 5G means that broadcasting can take on many new forms over the coming years, and we’re likely to see renewed interest in reality technology as a more immersive content experience gathers momentum.
Owing to the ability of 5G to deliver high-resolution graphics and faster loading times, the sky could well be the limit for the incorporation of TV series and movies into the world of virtual reality. Whether you would like to view your favorite sitcom as if you were in the audience or gain a pitch-side view at a football match, 5G could be a watershed moment for uniting reality technology and entertainment on a comprehensive scale.
The 5G Revolution Will be Televised
Faster data means that our television no longer needs to be wired in on cables or broadcast from an orbiting satellite. With 5G, streaming services can deliver a seamless viewing experience with little chance of disruption. While a more comfortable experience is assured, this only represents the tip of the iceberg. 5G is the first technology that can bear the load of high-performance reality technology and the potential for more immersive viewing experiences among audiences. With this in mind, it’s worth watching the space that the entertainment industry is growing into. Faster connectivity opens the door to near-limitless possibilities for TV and film.
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