On a cold January evening in 2025, millions gathered across time zones not in stadiums or theaters, but in their homes, immersed in mixed reality concerts, live-streamed films, or hyper-personalized gaming experiences. This isn’t science fiction; it’s the daily reality shaped by the ever-evolving media and entertainment industry. As technology redefines audience expectations, understanding the scope and velocity of this industry’s growth in 2025 isn’t just useful, it’s essential for creators, investors, and policymakers alike.

In this article, we uncover the most important media and entertainment statistics of 2025, offering a data-driven lens into the trends reshaping how content is made, distributed, and consumed.

Editor’s Choice

• The global media and entertainment market is forecasted to reach $2.75 trillion in 2025.
• Digital media revenue is projected to cross $1.08 trillion in 2025, making up nearly 40% of the entire industry’s income.
• Streaming video services will generate over $196 billion in revenue globally in 2025, marking a 13.2% YoY growth.
• The gaming segment leads growth charts with an estimated market size of $282 billion in 2025, largely driven by mobile and cloud-based games.
• Global advertising spend across media channels is expected to hit $974 billion in 2025, with over 62% coming from digital platforms.
• Average daily media consumption per person has climbed to 7.8 hours in 2025, an increase of 6.1% from the previous year.
• AI-generated content now accounts for 14% of all digital media published online in 2025.

Projected Growth Rates in Media & Entertainment Segments

• Virtual reality leads all segments with a 30% CAGR, driven by immersive experiences and growing adoption across gaming, events, and training.
• Cinema is set for a strong rebound with a 29% CAGR, fueled by post-pandemic recovery and global content expansion.
• Data consumption is projected to grow at a 27% CAGR, reflecting rising video streaming, gaming, and mobile internet use.
• Out-of-home advertising sees a healthy recovery with an 11% CAGR, as physical venues and public spaces reopen.
• OTT video (Over-the-top) content continues gaining ground with a 10% CAGR, supported by subscription-based and ad-supported platforms.
• Music, radio, and podcasts are forecasted to grow at a 9% CAGR, highlighting demand for on-the-go and personalized audio content.
• Internet advertising remains strong with an 8% CAGR, as digital ad spend outpaces traditional media.
• B2B media will expand at a 7% CAGR, driven by demand for industry-specific content and virtual events.
• Video games and esports will grow at a 6% CAGR, maintaining momentum from pandemic-era popularity and competitive gaming.
• Internet access usage will increase by a 5% CAGR, tied to digital infrastructure growth and mobile penetration.
• TV advertising will experience modest growth with a 4% CAGR, as traditional media adapts to hybrid viewing habits.
• Consumer books are expected to grow slowly at a 1% CAGR, with stable demand in print and digital formats.
• Newspapers and consumer magazines are projected to decline by -1% CAGR, reflecting ongoing shifts to digital media.
• Traditional TV and home video will also decline at -1% CAGR, as viewers migrate to streaming platforms.

Global Media and Entertainment Market Size

• The worldwide media and entertainment market will grow to $2.75 trillion in 2025, driven by strong performance in gaming, streaming, and immersive experiences.
• North America remains the highest-grossing region with $880 billion, accounting for 32% of the global total.
• Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing region, projected to reach $710 billion in 2025, with India and Southeast Asia as key accelerators.
• The global digital media revenue share has risen to 39.5% in 2025, surpassing all traditional formats combined.
• OTT services (Over-The-Top content delivery) now represent a 23.7% share of total industry revenue in 2025.
• Virtual event platforms and e-sports contributed $42 billion in 2025, largely due to global hybrid entertainment consumption.
• Subscription-based services across all media sectors now bring in $610 billion, indicating a strong shift from ad-supported models.
• Interactive media formats, including immersive story-driven games and XR environments, accounted for $128 billion in revenue in 2025.
• The metaverse entertainment market reached $37.4 billion in 2025, doubling its size from 2023.
• AI-integrated content platforms contributed $86 billion in new revenue streams, revolutionizing personalization and production.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment (TV, Film, Music, Gaming, Publishing)

• Gaming holds the largest share at $282 billion, growing 10.5% YoY, largely due to cross-platform and subscription models.
• TV broadcasting and cable declined slightly to $412 billion, reflecting cord-cutting trends in North America and Europe.
• Streaming video-on-demand (SVOD) climbed to $196 billion, with Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ together holding over 61% of the market.
• The global film industry generated $106 billion in 2025, including both theatrical and digital-first releases.
• Music industry revenue reached $37.2 billion, driven by streaming (over 88% of total music consumption).
• Podcasting revenues increased to $4.5 billion, nearly double that of 2022, with branded content and paid subscriptions gaining ground.
• Book publishing saw stable growth, reaching $138 billion, with e-books and audiobooks comprising 37% of total sales.
• Live events and performances bounced back strongly, with a combined revenue of $87 billion, reflecting a hybrid digital-physical demand.
• The VR/AR entertainment segment grew to $19.6 billion, driven by cinematic VR experiences and social VR hangouts.
• User-generated content platforms like YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok together accounted for $62 billion in creator earnings in 2025.
• Print media, while shrinking, still contributed $61 billion to the publishing sector in 2025, primarily from niche and legacy brands.

Streaming Platform Preferences by Age Group

• Gen Z (18–24): A dominant 77% prefer streaming services, while only 9% favor cable TV and 6% choose network TV.
• Millennials (25–39): 74% prefer streaming, with 16% opting for cable TV, showing a still-strong tilt toward digital.
• Gen X (40–54): 66% use streaming platforms the most, but 21% still prefer cable TV, indicating a more mixed behavior.
• Baby Boomers (55+): Only 40% prefer streaming, while 38% still watch cable TV the most, and 15% say neither.

Streaming Services Usage and Revenue Statistics

• Global revenue from streaming services is expected to exceed $196 billion in 2025, growing 13.2% year-over-year.
• Netflix remains the market leader with 270 million global subscribers, followed by Amazon Prime Video at 240 million and Disney+ with 193 million.
• Ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) platforms like Tubi and Pluto TV have surged to $43 billion in revenue in 2025, up 19.6% from the previous year.
• The average U.S. household subscribes to 4.6 streaming platforms in 2025, a slight decline from 2024 as bundling becomes more common.
• Live sports streaming accounts for over $28 billion in revenue globally, a 22% YoY increase, driven by exclusive digital rights deals.
• Niche streaming services (e.g., Crunchyroll, BritBox, Shudder) collectively brought in $6.2 billion in 2025, showing consistent audience retention.
• Over 74% of all digital media consumption in the U.S. occurs via mobile streaming apps.
• Cloud-based content delivery reduced buffering times by 23% on average across major platforms in 2025.
• Interactive streaming (like Netflix’s Bandersnatch model) grew by 15%, now generating $3.1 billion in revenue.
• Platforms with AI-driven personalization saw 25% higher watch time per user compared to non-personalized interfaces.

Advertising Spend Across Media Channels

• Global media ad spend is expected to reach $974 billion in 2025, with 62.4% allocated to digital formats.
• Social media advertising alone will surpass $212 billion, led by Meta platforms and TikTok.
• Connected TV (CTV) advertising will hit $48 billion, up 17.5% year-over-year, driven by addressable targeting capabilities.
• Podcast advertising revenue is projected to reach $3.4 billion, fueled by branded integrations and native reads.
• Programmatic advertising now accounts for 84% of all digital display ad spend in 2025.
• In-game advertising is expected to generate $14.9 billion, reflecting its growing role in monetizing free-to-play models.
• Traditional TV advertising fell to $132 billion, continuing its downward trend in high-income markets.
• Digital audio ads, including streaming platforms and smart speakers, are projected to reach $7.6 billion in 2025.
• Advertisers spent $21.3 billion on influencer marketing campaigns, a 14% increase from 2024.
• Augmented reality ad formats are gaining traction, now used by 1 in 4 Fortune 500 brands in 2025.

Top Countries Driving Media & Entertainment Growth

• Turkey leads global growth with a 14.2% CAGR, making it the fastest-growing media and entertainment market.
• Argentina follows with a strong 10.4% CAGR, reflecting rising digital media and consumer engagement.
• India ranks third with a 9.1% CAGR, driven by mobile streaming, online gaming, and OTT platforms.
• Nigeria shows rapid expansion at 8.8% CAGR, powered by a young, digitally connected population.
• Colombia is seeing solid media growth with a 7.6% CAGR, supported by digital transformation.
• Saudi Arabia reports a 7.3% CAGR, with heavy investments in entertainment and content creation.
• Mexico, Pakistan, and Indonesia each show a 7.1% CAGR, indicating parallel consumer behavior shifts.
• Chile rounds out the top ten with a 7.0% CAGR, highlighting its growing digital media adoption.

Consumer Behavior and Media Consumption Patterns

• The average American spends 7.8 hours per day consuming media in 2025, a 6.1% rise from the prior year.
• Short-form video content is consumed by 91% of Gen Z and 83% of Millennials daily.
• 81% of U.S. consumers prefer on-demand content over scheduled programming.
• Multiscreen usage is the norm, with 62% of adults using two or more devices while watching TV or streaming.
• Second-screen shopping (browsing or purchasing products while watching content) influenced $36.5 billion in U.S. sales in 2025.
• Subscription fatigue is real: 43% of Americans canceled at least one media subscription in the past 12 months.
• Consumers increasingly seek bundled experiences, with over 58% preferring services that combine streaming, music, and gaming.
• Interactive media experiences are now favored by 67% of Gen Alpha, who spend an average of 5.2 hours weekly in gamified learning or play environments.
• AI-generated characters and content are followed or subscribed to by 28% of U.S. audiences.
• Environmental and ethical values influence media choice for 44% of Gen Z respondents, up from 31% two years ago.

Social Media’s Impact on Entertainment Trends

• In 2025, over 79% of all media content discovery begins on a social platform.
• TikTok leads cultural influence, driving 27% of viral content trends that later surface on mainstream TV or streaming platforms.
• YouTube Shorts crossed 100 billion monthly views, with creators earning over $1.5 billion collectively from short-form monetization.
• Social listening tools reveal that music previews on Instagram and TikTok correlate with 15–30% increases in first-week streaming numbers.
• The average U.S. consumer follows 11 media brands or creators on at least two platforms.
• Collaborative content creation (e.g., fans voting on story arcs or character choices) increased by 21%, particularly in web series and indie games.
• Fan economy platforms like Patreon and Ko-fi now host over 2.2 million active creators, collectively earning more than $3.8 billion in 2025.
• Meta’s Horizon Worlds reported 18.7 million monthly active users, with entertainment hubs being the most visited spaces.
• AI influencers and virtual characters collectively attract over 120 million followers globally across TikTok, Instagram, and Twitch.
• Social platforms with built-in tipping, gifting, and exclusive content access now account for 17% of creator monetization.

TV Viewing Share by Platform Type

• Streaming dominates TV consumption with a 38.1% share, surpassing both cable (30.9%) and broadcast (24.7%).
• Other streaming platforms collectively account for 10.7% of total viewing.
• YouTube (including YouTube TV) holds 8.7%, making it the top individual streaming platform.
• Netflix follows with a 7.5% share of viewing.
• Hulu (including Hulu Live) captures 3.4%, while Prime Video takes 2.7%.
• Disney+ holds 1.9%, HBO Max has 1.4%, Peacock at 1.0%, and Pluto TV rounds it out with 0.8%.
• The “Other” category (non-streaming) still holds 6.3%, showing there’s some diversity in content sources beyond mainstream categories.

Mobile Entertainment Usage Statistics

• Mobile content accounts for 71% of all digital media consumption in 2025.
• Gaming on mobile devices generated over $132 billion, driven by in-game purchases and subscription models.
• Mobile video traffic represents 74% of global internet data in 2025, according to Cisco projections.
• The average user spends 4.9 hours per day on entertainment apps, with video and social apps leading the time spent.
• 5G adoption enabled seamless streaming and gaming experiences for 74% of U.S. users.
• Mobile-first media companies like TikTok, YouTube, and Snap are expected to earn $150 billion in ad revenue combined in 2025.
• AI-powered recommendation engines have increased mobile video engagement by 21% on average.
• Mobile live-streaming saw a 22.4% year-over-year increase in daily users, especially for sports and creator content.
• Vertical video formats are now standard across 92% of entertainment apps.
• Interactive storytelling and AR experiences accessed via smartphones contributed $5.3 billion in mobile media revenue.

Employment and Workforce Statistics in the Industry

• The media and entertainment sector employs 12.3 million people globally in 2025, a 4.7% increase from last year.
• In the United States, over 2.7 million professionals work in media-related fields, with the strongest growth in digital content production and data analytics.
• Remote and hybrid roles now make up 39% of all jobs in entertainment, up from 24% in 2022.
• The average annual salary in the U.S. entertainment sector is $84,500, with streaming engineers and AI content specialists earning significantly more.
• Diversity in hiring is improving, with 41% of creative leadership roles held by women in 2025.
• The freelance workforce represents 33% of total industry employment globally, particularly in production, design, and post-editing.
• AI and automation have replaced an estimated 4.2% of legacy jobs but have created new roles in prompt engineering, synthetic voice modeling, and content QA.
• Internship-to-hire rates in entertainment startups reached 26%, signaling a pipeline of young digital talent.
• The average tenure at major entertainment companies is 3.8 years, shorter than in the tech or finance sectors.
• Mental health support programs are now provided by 78% of entertainment companies, addressing the pressure and pace of digital-first production cycles.

Global Cinema Revenue and Admission Trends

• Cinema revenues are projected to more than double from $22.8 billion in 2021 to $52.7 billion by 2026.
• 2022 saw a major rebound with revenues hitting $38 billion, up from $22.8 billion the previous year.
• Admissions rose steadily from 3.3 billion in 2021 to an expected 7.7 billion by 2026.
• 2023 marked a significant milestone with $46.4 billion in revenue and 7.1 billion ticket admissions.
• The market continues to grow, reaching $50.7 billion in 2025 with 7.5 billion admissions.
• By 2026, global cinema is set to achieve a new peak: $52.7 billion revenue and 7.7 billion admissions.

Top Media and Entertainment Companies by Revenue

• Apple leads 2025 with an estimated media revenue of $122 billion, combining Apple TV+, Music, News, and Arcade.
• Amazon follows with $118 billion, thanks to Prime Video, Twitch, Audible, and ad-supported streaming.
• Alphabet (Google) generates $97 billion in entertainment revenue, driven by YouTube ads and YouTube Premium.
• Disney retains strong performance at $87 billion, led by its streaming and content licensing segments.
• Netflix crossed $41 billion in revenue, growing 11% year-over-year due to international subscriber gains.
• Tencent reports $34 billion, mostly from gaming (Honor of Kings, PUBG Mobile) and video platforms.
• Sony earned $29.6 billion, with PlayStation, film, and music divisions contributing evenly.
• Warner Bros. Discovery holds steady at $27.1 billion, despite restructuring and portfolio consolidation.
• Spotify posted revenues of $18.4 billion, with 72% coming from premium subscribers and 28% from advertising.
• ByteDance (TikTok) generated an estimated $15.8 billion in media-related revenue globally, making it one of the fastest-growing players.

Challenges and Opportunities in Digital Transformation

• Content oversaturation is a major challenge, with over 1.1 million hours of video content uploaded daily across platforms in 2025.
• Data privacy regulations impact personalized advertising strategies, especially in the EU and California.
• AI-generated content creates both opportunity and concern, as 14% of online media is now machine-produced.
• Platforms that implemented blockchain for rights management reduced copyright disputes by 27%.
• Cross-platform integration is now essential—over 58% of consumers expect a seamless experience across devices and services.
• Cloud-based production systems are used by 61% of studios, improving speed and lowering costs.
• Latency reduction in content delivery networks has enhanced user experience, especially for live events and sports.
• Voice and gesture interfaces are being integrated into 17% of smart entertainment systems in 2025.
• There’s a 43% adoption rate of generative AI tools among media professionals for scriptwriting, editing, and animation tasks.
• Green production technologies are opening new markets for sustainable certifications and viewer loyalty.

Millennials Prefer Paying for Entertainment Over News

• 78% of Millennials regularly consumed digital movies/TV shows, with 55% paying themselves and 23% using someone else’s account.
• Cable TV was used by 69%, where 41% paid themselves and 28% had someone else pay.
• Digital music had a 54% usage rate, with 48% paying out of pocket.
• Video games/gaming apps were used by 51%, with 46% paying themselves.
• Other apps were paid for by 38% of Millennials, while 5% accessed them via someone else.
• Only 30% used print magazines, with 21% self-paying and **9% via others.
• Print newspapers saw 29% usage, split between 16% self-paid and 13% covered by others.
• Just 19% accessed news apps, with 14% paying themselves.
• Digital magazine subscriptions were used by 16%, while only 10% paid for digital newspapers themselves.

Environmental and Sustainability Trends in Media Production

• Over 62% of major production studios adopted green filming practices in 2025.
• Streaming companies are using carbon-neutral data centers, reducing emissions by 38% per user stream.
• LED virtual production stages, now used by 26% of global studios, cut on-location travel emissions by 45%.
• The average feature film’s carbon footprint has decreased from 3,000 tons to 1,750 tons CO₂e through sustainable methods.
• Paperless production workflows are used by 88% of film and TV crews.
• Eco-credits and certifications are available in 17 countries, influencing production funding and incentives.
• Upcycled costume and set materials are used in 1 out of 3 television productions in 2025.
• Music festivals and live concerts have reduced single-use plastic waste by 62%, thanks to reusable container systems.
• Green game development—including energy-efficient rendering—saw adoption from 19% of top studios globally.
• The push for climate-conscious storytelling grew, with 11% of top-grossing films in 2025 featuring environmental themes.

Recent Developments in the Media and Entertainment Industry

• Netflix introduced real-time audience feedback tools in beta, enabling dynamic episode edits based on viewer responses.
• AI voice cloning is now used in 14% of animated productions, reducing voiceover timelines by 40%.
• Disney+ rolled out tiered interactive content subscriptions, offering premium “choice-based” storylines.
• Meta launched its Horizon Theater experience, blending VR storytelling with live global audience interaction.
• Spotify added in-app AI DJs with real-time voice commentary, driving 22% longer average sessions.
• Apple Vision Pro content partnerships began expanding into immersive concert and sports broadcasting.
• TikTok Music launched in 15 countries, blending short video creation with full-track streaming, quickly amassing 22 million users.
• The Writers Guild of America (WGA) reached a landmark agreement to regulate AI use in creative scripting.
• Interactive news formats from platforms like Axios and NowThis achieved 32% higher engagement than static video reports.
• Fan-owned content collectives became more prominent, with NFT-backed storytelling projects raising over $420 million in 2025.

Conclusion

The media and entertainment industry in 2025 is more connected, intelligent, and globalized than ever before. It’s not just about watching or listening anymore—it’s about interacting, co-creating, and consuming on one’s own terms. As boundaries blur between creator and audience, physical and digital, data and creativity, the landscape will keep shifting. For businesses and consumers alike, adapting to this new dynamic is no longer optional—it’s the baseline expectation.

Sources

• https://www.statista.com/statistics/237749/value-of-the-global-entertainment-and-media-market/
• https://www.cognitivemarketresearch.com/list/consumer-goods/media-and-entertainment
• https://www.spglobal.com/_assets/documents/ratings/research/101611587.pdf
• https://www.trade.gov/media-entertainment
• https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/issues/business-model-reinvention/outlook/insights-and-perspectives.html
• https://www.statista.com/outlook/amo/app/entertainment/worldwide
• https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/4897217/media-and-entertainment-market-share-analysis
• https://www.the-future-of-commerce.com/2025/01/10/media-and-entertainment-trends-2025/

ABOUT AUTHOR

by Barry Elad