Global Scans · Media & Entertainment · Weekly Summary

• [New] Gaming continues its streak as one of the fastest-growing sectors within entertainment and media, with revenue projected to top $300 billion in 2028. Kavout
• [New] PQ Media forecasts an acceleration in global consumer spending on media and tech to 3.7% in 2026, up from 2.8% in 2025, largely fueled by events like the Winter Olympics in Italy, the FIFA World Cup tri-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, and a host of federal elections worldwide. Kavout
• [New] Daily media consumption will hit a record 13 hours and 26 minutes per day in 2026, fueled by genAI, resilient social media engagement, stronger-than-expected streaming growth, and a slower decline in traditional TV. eMarketer
• [New] The strongest 2026 media plans use CTV for addressable reach and brand lift, social and search for lower-funnel capture, and AI-powered video systems to produce native assets for every channel. The Gutenberg
• [New] Retail media sees continued double digit growth 12.3% in 2026 and 11.4% in 2027. dentsu
• [New] The Digital Marketing GCC will focus on AI-led intelligence, attribution models, media planning playbooks, and centralised content creation at scale. BMI
• [New] Global social media advertising spending is on track to reach $275.98 billion in 2025 and $480 billion by 2030, while the number of social media users has already passed 5.4 billion worldwide. TechnologyChecker.io
• [New] Critics decry Israel's sweeping media reforms, warning of further risks to press freedom and election integrity. Al Jazeera
• [New] A media strategy that works on LinkedIn will not translate directly to TikTok. Web Tonic
• [New] Deepfakes have evolved from early CGI research into a global risk as generative AI has made creating synthetic media fast, inexpensive, and highly convincing. Reality Defender - Enterprise-Grade Deepfake Detection
• [New] The UK government is preparing to launch a social media ban for under-16s early 2027, which will increase scrutiny of the methods tech companies use for verifying users' ages. The Guardian
• [New] The French national assembly had passed legislation to prohibit access to social media accounts for children under 15 - with provisions for parental consent - and the UK government had announced plans for an Australia-plus ban for under-16s from 2027, with additional restrictions. The Guardian
• [New] Older teenagers in the UK will face an overnight social media curfew. BBC News
• [New] Media and entertainment is projected to expand at a 38.19% CAGR through 2031, which makes it the fastest-growing end-user segment. Mordor Intelligence
• [New] How any future age verification legislation in the UK around social media and particularly messaging in gaming could therefore affect it, if at all, is still unknown. BBC News
• [New] Intelligent systems are expected to outperform social media in customer communication over the past decade. SpringerLink
• [New] Under the proposed changes - the first for an Australian state - social media companies could be forced to identify anonymous accounts accused of online vilification. The Guardian
• Media and entertainment is projected to grow at a 33.56% CAGR through 2031, which reflects the increasing value of subscriber-level behaviour data in streaming and digital advertising. Mordor Intelligence
• The proliferation of well-funded, content-rich streaming services from major media companies (e.g., Disney +, Max, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV +) poses a clear emerging threat. Trefis
• AI use is growing in regulated industries and that Ofcom will focus on ensuring it's safe and secure, including in media and communications. Transparency Market Research

Last updated: 27 July 2026