AI-powered ads growth factor for entertainment and media industry
AI-powered advertising will be a strong growth factor for the global entertainment and media (E&M) industry that will reach US$4.2 trillion in revenues in 2030, growing at a CAGR of 3.4%, according to a forecast by consultancy PwC. Global box office is projected to continue recovery and edge near pre-pandemic highs in 2030, while streamers look to consolidation and bundling amid subscription fatigue, the forecast says.
In-person experiences such as live music and trade shows will see major growth. Online betting and gambling revenues are expected to double by 2030, becoming a larger segment than cinema.
The outlook, comprising 12 E&M sectors and 53 countries and territories, predicts $600 billion in new revenues in 2030, overwhelmingly driven by digital ecosystems. Advertising is projected to remain the fastest growing E&M segment analysed in the report. Of the three major E&M segments analysed – connectivity, advertising, consumer – advertising is projected to grow at a 5.6% CAGR and eclipse consumer spending in 2026 (which is expected to grow at a 2.5% CAGR).
Connectivity – what people pay for internet access and the largest by revenue of the three segments – is projected to slow through 2030, growing at a CAGR of 2.3% from $1.3 trillion in 2025 to $1.5 trillion in 2030.
Advertising spend surpassed US$1 trillion for the first time in 2025 and is projected to hit $1.4 trillion in 2030 as AI-powered, real-time hyper-personalisation enables more targeted advertising solutions.
Within advertising, the global internet advertising market – which includes all digital spend across social, video and more – alone accelerated by 12.2% in 2025 to reach $755.6 billion and is projected to grow at a 7.2% CAGR through the forecast period.
Global box office revenue is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.5% to reach $39.5 billion by 2030 – as it continues to regain ground lost in the pandemic.
Regionally, recovery remains uneven, with Asia-Pacific leading growth from $13.8 billion in 2025 to ~$17 billion by 2030 (4.3% CAGR), followed by EMEA from $8.6 billion to ~$10.1 billion (3.3% CAGR) and North America from $8.7 billion to ~$9.9 billion (2.8% CAGR).
Streaming – OTT (Over-The-Top) – revenue is projected to grow at a 6.1% CAGR. However, growth is projected to slow in mature markets because of ‘subscription fatigue’.
“As a result, greater consolidation, multi-package bundling, and partnership activity is expected to accelerate. And as platforms continue to expand ad-supported tiers and monetization models, advertising will play a greater role in OTT. Currently at 19.4% of revenues, OTT ads are projected to grow at a 9.4% CAGR so that by 2030 they will represent 22.6% of the segment’s revenues.”
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