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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1339792
Virtual CES 3 Consumer Hardware Needs Content Quantity, Variety By Andy Marken Since the earliest CES, the OMG of the show has always been the screen … bigger, better, brighter, more immersive, more versatile, less expensive. That’s a good thing because this year’s virtual event (and our locked at home lives) would have been terribly dull without the screen … and the content. 5G/NextGen TV, streaming and remote learning/work/communications tools are great, but they are nothing without the content creation industry – audio, video, gaming. Content and virtual CES became even more important ingredients in the CTA world technology mix. 2020 left a lasting mark on our relationship with (and blurred the lines between) work, technology and entertainment. The pandemic was devastating to the out-of-home entertainment industry – theatrical live and video. Live performances went dark. Movie theaters – if open at all – were lonely places. After nearly a year, a few concerts and plays have struggled to give people streamed performances. It’s a long way from “being there” and certainly can’t be profitable but it’s an escape, if only for an hour or two. Movie theaters around the globe lost more than $32B last year, according to Omdia. While China has been modestly successful in controlling the pandemic, theaters are beginning to enjoy a new normal with an average of about 25 percent occupancy. Even as theaters in other countries struggle to open and convince people it’s time to come out of hibernation and catch a movie, the potential looks grim for some time to come.