Industry Insider: The 2025 Media Landscape: Lessons For Content Creators and Industry Executives

Sutthichai Supapornpasupad

In a media and entertainment landscape that is both expansive and volatile, the 2025 AlixPartners report serves as a vital compass for navigating the industry’s future. Touching on everything from streaming wars to AI in creativity and the rise of retail media, the report delivers a sobering yet strategic look at where the industry is headed. For content creators and executives alike, the report offers a call to adapt, innovate, and rethink legacy models.

Streaming Wars: A Battle for Eyeballs and Economics

Projected Global Revenues for SVOD & AVOD

By 2025, global revenues for SVOD (Subscription Video on Demand) and AVOD (Ad-Supported Video on Demand) programs are predicted to be earning more than $165 billion, continuing a robust growth trajectory. However, behind this growth, there is an intense market saturation, platform fatigue, and growing price sensitivity.

A big obstacle is that now consumers have become increasingly overwhelmed. The average household subscribers to four or more streaming services; the monthly costs for three to five platforms can reach $60–$80, depending on level selections. Churn is high, and content costs are ballooning—almost $126 billion is projected to be spent on content in 2024 alone.

Key Insight for Executives: Differentiation is key to becoming a lead competitor. Bundling, unique IP, and hybrid models such as ad-supported tiers will give companies that competitive advantage.

Key Insight for Creators: Specific content, strong and loyal fan engagement, and cross-platform content will be more valuable than chasing mainstream hits.

Sports Betting, Gaming, and the Gamified Future

The intermixed world of sports, gaming, and betting has opened a new door. New laws,access to social media platforms, and cultural acceptance have launched new opportunities in online gambling and casino gaming. These sectors offer different types of engagements but also drive revenue. These sectors are very popular among Gen Z and Millennials. The gamification of media signals a future where passive viewing turns into active engagement.

For Executives: It's important to move fast in this sector, as it demands quick adaptation to tech infrastructure, compliance, and the gaming world.

For Creators: Collaborations with betting platforms or gamified storytelling can tap into growing revenue models.

Beyond the Console: Expanding the Gaming Universe

Gaming has consistently outpaced the film and music industries in revenue, but the real innovation is happening outside traditional platforms. The growth of cross-platform systems, examples being Fortnite and Roblox. User-generated virtual gameplay and content are huge reasons why the line between audience and creator has never been more ambiguous. For instance, metaverse-like environments offer a whole new content format that includes brand partnerships and other revenue streams.

Executive Takeaway: Invest in interoperable IP and talent pipelines that intertwine gaming and entertainment.

Creator Takeaway: Learn how to use these platforms—content creation within games is becoming a profession of its own with huge revenue opportunities.

AI in Creative Industries: A Double-Edged Sword

AI is quickly revolutionizing many aspects of media production—from scriptwriting and animation to marketing and distribution. While AI  democratizes access to creative tools, it also raises problems about originality, copyright, and intellectual identity.

The report highlights that AI will be central in automated dubbing, hyper-personalized content recommendations, and even generative storytelling.

Executives: Build internal governance around ethical AI use, copyright, and audience trust.

Creators: Embrace AI as a tool, not a threat—use it to prototype, experiment, and enhance creativity.

Retail Media and the Commerce-Content Convergence

Retail media—ads embedded in commerce ecosystems like Amazon or Walmart—is bound to explode. As cookie-based tracking becomes less and less used, companies are investing more in first-party data channels. Content is no longer just dominant—it’s commerce-enabled.

The mix of storytelling and shopping has opened doors for shoppable videos. These videos now have embedded links in shows and live-streamed sales events, making it easier for a customer to just click and buy.

Executives: Partner with commerce platforms and develop content pipelines that can host embedded videos with product links.

Creators: Collaborate directly with brands; combine your story and earn money by including product placement without sacrificing creative integrity.

The Future of Search: From Queries to Curation

Traditional search is being upended. There has been a rise of AI assistants, voice search, and visual discovery in the past five years; ideas such as TikTok’s “For You” page, means that content discovery is now driven by curation rather than active searching. This creates both a distribution opportunity and a specific curation for the user.

Executives: Invest in algorithmic discovery and strategic SEO tailored for AI-led platforms.

Creators: Make content that is bite-sized, algorithm-friendly, and optimized for platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.

M&A and Market Consolidation: Only the Bold Survive

The M&A outlook predicts further strategic consolidation. To  maintain competitiveness media entities are purchasing tech, gaming, and AI businesses. Niche players will combine or be assimilated into larger ecosystems to grow distribution and profitability.

Executives: Look for cross-sector synergy—especially between tech and content.

Creators: Be open to partnerships or platform deals; independence is powerful, but scale often requires backing.

Conclusion: Navigating a Hybrid Future

The AlixPartners 2025 report is clear: the media and entertainment sector is transforming into a hybrid ecosystem where technology, commerce, and creativity meet. Content creators have the difficulty of being genuine while adapting to new channels and formats. Executives must develop business models that reflect new  consumption patterns, monetization, and customization.

The future of media will not be dominated merely by those with the biggest budgets or collections; it will be driven by those who are the quickest to adapt, the most daring in experimentation, and the sharpest in recognizing the new audience frontier.