Media and Technology Trends for 2026

Intro:  

The media landscape is accelerating toward a fundamentally different future. As AI lowers the cost of creation, interactivity collapses the gap between watching and doing, and video flows freely across phones and TVs, audiences are becoming more discerning about what they trust and how they engage. 

Drawing on recent research and industry reporting, the following five trends highlight the forces reshaping how media is produced, discovered, monetised and experienced. 

Trends: 

Authenticity is in 

Credibility is fast becoming a premium attribute in media – one that drives engagement, conversion and long-term value.

As generative and agentic AI lower the cost of producing content and expand across platforms, audiences are placing greater value on authenticity, human-driven storytelling and clear authorship, and at the same time, pushing back against the flood of AI-generated media. The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer shows that US respondents are twice as likely to reject the growing use of artificial intelligence as embrace it, with 75% reporting distrust. Negative commentary on low-quality, automated output – often labeled ‘AI slop’ – continues to rise across platforms. 

In response, media companies are seeking scalable ways to verify authorship, signal authenticity and protect trust, making authentication and provenance key strategic priorities across the full media lifecycle, from real-time social distribution and digital publishing to long-form journalism, studio films and broadcast and streaming content. Prove what’s real, or risk losing consumer attention and confidence. 

Discovery is getting smarter, and more trusted 

While audiences remain skeptical of AI-generated content, they may be more open to AI playing a different role: helping them decide what to watch, read, or buy.  

As content libraries grow and feeds become more overwhelming, consumers are increasingly looking for experiences that narrow choices rather than expand them, and for platforms that can respond to simple questions like ‘What should I watch tonight?’ or ‘I liked X, what’s similar?’ And as AI becomes more capable of understanding intent, context and preference in real time, streaming platforms are beginning to respond, shifting discovery away from passive, algorithm-driven scrolling toward more intent-led, AI-powered guidance across search, home screens and recommendation flows. 

For consumers, that means less time spent searching and more confidence in the choice they make. For media companies and brands, it opens a path to improve loyalty and usage by providing a service audiences actually want. In a moment of widespread skepticism toward AI-made media, curation may be where trust is built first. 

Interactive TV is collapsing the gap between watching and doing 

Audiences are no longer limited to watching content unfold – they’re increasingly able to, and interested in, acting within it in real time, from betting and voting to chatting and buying. The projected rise of sports betting to a $200 billion market over the next five years is an early indicator of this broader transformation. 

What began in sports wagering has spread across talk shows, reality competitions and live events such as the 2026 Golden Globes. Second-screen mechanics reward attention by turning it into immediate action; place a bet, cast a vote, join a conversation, and receive instant feedback. Shoppable video applies the same attention-to-action loop to commerce, letting viewers purchase what they see in real time without breaking the viewing experience. The platforms that will succeed are those that make participation easy and natural and deliver obvious value to the viewer without becoming a distraction.  

Who controls our data?  

As media and commerce become more interactive, consumers, particularly Gen Z, are growing more skeptical about what participation costs. Ongoing consolidation and the resulting concentration of data will only amplify that fear. 

Having grown up in a world of data breaches, opaque algorithms and platform consolidation, younger audiences are acutely aware of the trade-offs between convenience, personalisation and privacy. Many already respond by sharing less on social platforms, locking down devices, or opting out of features that feel intrusive or poorly explained. 

At the same time, ongoing mergers and consolidation will concentrate unprecedented amounts of data, identity and behavioural insight in the hands of a small number of platforms. And as these systems centralise, consumers will feel they have less control over who sees their data, how it’s used and how long it’s kept – fueling cynicism and eroding confidence. 

For media companies and commerce platforms alike, this raises the bar. Viewers need clear, transparent signals about what data is being collected, how it’s used and what control they retain. Platforms that make privacy settings legible, give users meaningful choices and treat transparency as part of the product experience, and not just a compliance requirement, will be better positioned to earn sustained engagement. 

As media converges, brands must become creators 

The way people watch videos is changing – and it’s setting the stage for a new era of brand-backed entertainment.  

Social video, long-form shows and even vertical formats are no longer confined to phones; they’re increasingly consumed on TVs and streaming platforms, side by side with traditional entertainment. From a consumer’s point of view, everything competes for their time and attention. For brands and media companies, that means content should no longer be planned in silos; social, streaming and TV are all part of the same competitive landscape. 

As this convergence accelerates, brands are more actively investing in entertainment across the spectrum – from vertical video on social platforms and YouTube to premium partnerships with streaming services. Examples range from AB InBev collaborating with Netflix on original programming to brands like Red Bull and LEGO operating as full-fledged entertainment producers. 

Over time, all branded entertainment will feel less like marketing and more like the entertainment people actively choose to watch. That’s not a stylistic choice; it’s a necessity. Audiences are increasingly adept at spotting marketing. Anything that still feels promotional will be quickly filtered out – by switching channels, opening another app, or returning to trusted favourites.  

In this emerging landscape, the smartest brands will operate like studios, developing content that earns attention rather than assumes it. The smartest studios will treat brands as long-term partners in content development and financing, rather than short-term advertisers.  

What this means:  

Key takeaways for businesses: 

Stay agile. Media markets are evolving faster than traditional planning cycles can accommodate. As AI, interactivity and new formats reshape discovery and engagement, the ability to test, learn, and adapt in real time becomes a competitive advantage. Organisations that can move quickly – adjusting content, products and business models as consumer behaviour shifts – will be better positioned than those locked into rigid strategies.  

Credibility is no longer optional. As AI expands across the media stack, trust becomes a defining differentiator. Clear authorship, visible editorial voice and transparent data practices are increasingly central to how audiences evaluate content and platforms. Control and transparency don’t just reduce risk; they actively support engagement and long-term value. 

Audience experience matters as much as innovation. New forms of participation – whether shoppable video, live betting, or interactive features – only work if they feel intuitive and additive. When these experiences become distracting, intrusive, or opaque, audiences disengage. The most successful implementations will feel thoughtfully designed, human-led and aligned with the content itself. 

Concluding thoughts:

The next phase of media growth will be defined by a dual mandate: doubling down on authenticity, quality and trust, while expanding into new modes of monetisation, efficiency and development. The winners won’t choose between these paths, they’ll learn how to do both at once.