Entries invited from content creators across 190 countries

“A singular chance to showcase your work to audiences across the globe and attain fame instantly”

50 Shortlisted entries across genres and languages to be premiered on ZEE5

In line with its vision of bringing the best of entertainment content across languages to the fore for audiences across the globe and encouraging local talent across countries, ZEE5 Global, the largest OTT platform for South Asian content, today announced the launch of a Global OTT Content Festival.  A first-of-its-kind across global OTT platforms at this geo-scale, the Content Festival will give independent filmmakers, students of cinema, and young content creators a global platform to showcase their talent on and find audiences in 190+ countries.

Through the Content Festival, ZEE5 Global is inviting entries for content created in any language across fiction and non-fiction TV shows, movies, documentaries, stories, short films, music videos and more. The duration for music videos or albums can be between 3 to 5 minutes, and audio-visual content comprising of episodic content, film, web-series etc. must have a minimum duration of 30 minutes.

Participants are required to send in their entries to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .  Entries will be open for a month. An expert panel of judges at ZEE5 will shortlist the top 50 entries which will then be premiered exclusively on the platform. ZEE5 will also drive promotional efforts around the content globally on behalf of the filmmakers.

The Content Festival is expected to attract the largest aggregation of entries across languages from multiple markets. Not only is the Festival a singular unique opportunity for content creators to attain global fame instantly, but it will also add vastly to the slate of language content already available on ZEE5.

Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global, said, “As a global platform, we’re often approached by people across markets for opportunities to showcase their content on ZEE5.  We’re thrilled therefore to be announcing the ZEE5 Global Content Festival, a first of its kind initiative across global OTT platforms at this geo-scale, to give aspiring and budding content creators a chance for instant global recognition. An initiative like this will not only bring to the fore hidden gems from different countries but also add vastly to our already rich content library, and I eagerly look forward to watching the shortlisted entries.”

·  Leading beauty brands Lux, Love Beauty & Planet and cleaning brand, Seventh Generation, are made of recycled plastic while Lipton tea bags are biodegradable

·  Unilever is working with leading regional companies to collect and reuse plastics in packaging

·  Efforts come as part of Unilever global commitment to making its plastic packaging 100% recyclable and accelerating its use of post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR) by 2025 

Unilever, owner of brands including Dove, Love Beauty & Planet (LBP), Seventh Generation, Lux, and Omo, continues to make progress towards its ambitious commitments for a waste-free world, with >70% of Unilever packaging in MENA now recyclable. The achievement come as part of Unilever’s global commitment to making its plastic packaging 100% recyclable by 2025, while also aiming for an absolute plastic reduction across its portfolio, the first major consumer goods company to do so.

In line with Unilever’s global commitment, Unilever MENA has implemented new packaging on a range of products. Its Lipton tea bags are biodegradable, while the outer pack of the existing Lipton pack was made recyclable by the local MENA Refreshments R&D team, an innovation which received the USA Packaging Impressions Excellence Award.

Sanjiv Kakkar, Executive Vice-President at Unilever MENA commented: “Plastic has its place, but that place is not in the environment. A throwaway culture and business models continue to dominate our lives and damage our planet. Despite today’s challenging conditions, we remain committed towards the implementation of a circular economy for packaging where it is reused, recycled, or composted. We aim to cut the amount of plastic we use, and rapidly transition to a circular economy to stop it from ever finding its way into the environment.”

Across MENA, Unilever is working to reduce its use of virgin plastic in its packaging, following its commitment in 2019. Brands including Lux Handwash in the GCC and in Egypt have transitioned to post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR) in their packaging while the packaging of newly introduced brands into MENA, such as LBP and Seventh Generation are made of 100% recycled plastic. To enable this transition, Unilever is developing local third-party capabilities for plastic collection and recycling, and signed an agreement with the Emirati company, Bee’ah, in late 2019 to ensure local PCR development.

Unilever is also providing support for entrepreneurial efforts to develop new measures toward plastics and plastics collection. The winning team of the Unilever Gulf Young Entrepreneur Awards 2018 were awarded funding to support their work on plastic collection from ocean shorelines. In 2019, Unilever engaged students from GEMs schools and the American University of Sharjah on treating plastic as a resource versus a waste material.

Unilever is working with a wide range of partners across MENA to ensure the design and deployment of producer responsibility schemes in the region that will help collect and process plastic packaging via collection and processing and through supporting the development of well-designed extended producer responsibility schemes in which Unilever will take responsibility for its packaging. These partners include regulatory bodies, NGOs, and competitors in the UAE, Egypt, and Jordan. In 2017, Unilever committed to ensuring that 100% of its plastic packaging will be designed to be fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. Despite the challenging environment created by Covid-19, Unilever’s commitments remain unchanged towards transforming its approach to plastic packing through its ‘Less plastic. Better plastic. No plastic.’ internal framework, which outlines Unilever’s approach to how it will achieve its commitments and guides its innovation.

Last year, Unilever became the first major consumer goods company to commit to an absolute plastic reduction across its portfolio. By 2025, the company confirmed it will halve its use of virgin plastic by reducing its use of plastic packaging by more than 100,000 tonnes and accelerating its use of post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR). One year on, Unilever has globally:

· Stepped up its use of PCR to around 75,000 tonnes (1st July to 30 June 2020), which is over 10% of Unilever’s plastic footprint. This represents a significant increase from 2019, and solid progress towards its goal to use at least 25% PCR by 2025. Unilever expects its use of PCR to double in the next 12 months.

·  Launched new innovations to reduce its absolute use of plastic, such as recyclable paper-based ice cream tubs, which will save about 4,500 tonnes of plastic.    

·  Continued to ‘test, learn, and refine’ new business models linked to reusable and refillable packaging. Unilever has now established dedicated teams to scale work in this space.

· Developed country specific roadmaps to achieve its goal to help collect and process more plastic packaging than it sells.

Leaders’ Summit powered by Etisalat’s fixed 5G network

Etisalat chiefs highlighted the importance of investing in the network with the telecom sector undergoing rapid changes globally and digital transformation taking precedence, where Etisalat has proved its leadership by remaining ahead of competition due to its continuous investments in building one of the most advanced networks in the world.

Etisalat, along with telecom leaders participated in Telecom Review Leaders’ Summit, the event powered by Etisalat’s 5G fixed network, blending physical and virtual presence allowing participants to join seamlessly from anywhere in the world.

Hatem Dowidar, Acting CEO, Etisalat Group & CEO, Etisalat International, shared insights on Etisalat’s success story due to its continuous investments in the network achieving a major milestone this year of being ranked the fastest mobile network in the world. This was in line with Etisalat’s vision to ‘Drive the Digital Future to Empower Societies’ to provide innovative and leading digital services to its subscribers and business customers. Dowidar highlighted the importance of transitioning towards the new normal by adapting new business models, and focusing on digital transformation, enabling all sectors to be part of this transformation.

Khalifa Al Shamsi, Chief Strategy & Corporate Governance Officer, Etisalat Group, participated in the summit focusing on how Etisalat is making a major impact with 5G technologies, and enriching the society and digital economy by adapting to new and revolutionary business models. Al Shamsi highlighted the importance of 5G network laying the foundation for the next generation of telecom services and solutions, and called for enhanced partnerships between the different sectors to explore new opportunities, and provide value added solutions to all segments of the society during the new normal.

The summit also saw the participation of Hatem Bamatraf, Chief Technology Officer, Etisalat International, as one of the key speakers at a discussion on telcos making an impact with digital transformation. His session highlighted various issues such as how COVID-19 accelerated digital transformation; network transformation and management; digital transformation of customer experience; and data-driven decision making: capacity, investment, products

Dr Kamal Shehadi, Chief Legal and Regulatory Affairs Officer, Etisalat International, also highlighted the importance of ‘The Era of 5G: Spectrum Allocation’ among the other telecom leaders, and the importance of collaboration with regulatory authorities in a way to ensure providing innovative solutions that uplifts the economy in different countries.

The other senior leaders who participated were Khaled Hegazy, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Etisalat Misr, deliberating on ‘Regulating Data Privacy in a Virtually Connected World’ with other chief executives.

Toni Eid, CEO, Trace Media International highlighted the relevance of the 5G fixed network for the event: “The 14th edition of ‘The Leaders’ Summit’ is the first global blended event to be broadcasted and conducted on a fixed 5G network. I am thankful for Etisalat’s participation and support in making this possible giving all our speakers, panelists and attendees the opportunity to experience the most advanced network in the world. This is a true example of digital innovation and transformation in the network setting- a testimony for the world and positioning UAE on a global map.”

Dr Ahmed Bin Ali, SVP, Corporate Communications, Etisalat Group, said: “This is another great milestone for Etisalat to be able to power this entire event on the fixed 5G network. Etisalat is proud to participate in this prestigious summit that gathers leaders and experts from across markets delivering a platform to exchange expertise, learn on the latest trends in the industry and provide the participants such a unique enriching 5G experience.”

Leaders’ Summit focused on the theme ‘It’s all about Smart Networking’, bringing telecom experts and leaders together on one platform to debate and discuss about future developments in the regional and global telecom industry. The attendees included decision makers from the telecom industry covering all segments in the ecosystem.

Oprah sits down with the 44th president in a candid conversation covering his legacy, democracy, race and the American Dream on “The Oprah Conversation”

The 44th president of the United States, Barack Obama, will be Oprah Winfrey’s guest on a new episode of “The Oprah Conversation,” premiering globally on Apple TV+ on Tuesday, November 17 at 9 AM ET / 6 AM PT. The episode will be available to watch for free through Tuesday, December 1.

In their candid conversation, Oprah and President Obama explore the transformative years leading up to his historic presidency, and reflect on the aspirations, perseverance and accomplishments that brought him to the White House, and the monumental expectations placed upon him during his pivotal time in office.

“This book was worth the wait,” said Oprah Winfrey. “Everybody who reads it is going to be on this journey from the grueling and monotonous grind of the campaign, to taking us inside the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room and the Situation Room and sometimes, even the bedroom. This book has both the intimacy and the grandeur coming through in this memoir, and I have so been looking forward to speaking with him about all of it.”

Insightful and deeply personal, the memoir reveals President Obama’s introspective and genuine humanity, which propelled and sustained his journey to the presidency and beyond.

Customers can enjoy President Obama’s memoir, “A Promised Land,” on Apple Books. The memoir is available as an ebook or audiobook narrated by President Obama himself.

“The Oprah Conversation” is a timely Apple Original series that features Oprah leading intimate discussions with today’s foremost newsmakers, thought leaders and masters of their craft, exclusively on Apple TV+. Filmed remotely and incorporating audience engagement, Oprah hosts conversations that aim to bring truth and perspective to a range of topics shaping our world, revealing gripping stories of human connection.

The series continues to explore impactful and relevant topics with fascinating thought leaders from all over the world, and also offers poignant conversations between Oprah and change makers such as Emmanuel Acho, host of the provocative web series “Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man” in a two-part episode; Professor Ibram X. Kendi, best-selling author of “How to Be an Antiracist”; Bryan Stevenson, Equal Justice Initiative founder and best-selling author of the memoir that inspired the acclaimed film “Just Mercy”; global music icon Mariah Carey; Oscar-winning actor and humanitarian Matthew McConaughey; legendary Grammy Award winner Stevie Wonder; and quintessential songwriter and storyteller Dolly Parton.

“The Oprah Conversation” is available now, alongside “Oprah Talks COVID-19” and “Oprah’s Book Club,” on Apple TV+, which has set records as the only new streaming service to instantly launch globally in over 100 countries, and to have been honored with 118 awards nominations and 39 wins and accolades in its first year.

It is a well-understood dynamic that younger consumers are more frequently earlier adopters of new products and services. The subscription online video world is certainly no exception, and the most rapid uptake of the category of products including Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+, has—to date—been among the 18-24 and 25-34 year old age brackets.

In the UK and US, the typical 18-24 year old now believes they spend an average of over 1 hour 40 minutes each day watching videos via subscription video-on-demand services. And the 25-34 year old group shows similar behaviour. By contrast, the older age brackets consume much less content via video-on-demand. 55-64 year olds in the USA believe they spend roughly 40 minutes each day watching subscription online video, while their UK counterparts spend just 20 minutes.

Given the extensive period of time over which online video products have been available in each market, one might conclude that older consumers will remain loyal broadcast viewers (and subscription online video products will stay a minority contributor to their viewing patterns) for some time. However, the pace of change of viewing behaviours has been rapid over the last year. The average UK and US 55-64 year old's subscription OTT viewing increased by over 50% between Q3 2019 and Q3 2020.

Perhaps most importantly, the data indicates that each age group now lags the next by just one year. The average 55-64 year old's daily subscription video-on-demand viewing now matches that of the average 45-54 year old's viewing in the prior year—roughly 20 minutes in the UK and 40 minutes in the USA. Similarly, the average 45-54 year old is currently watching the same volume of subscription video-on-demand as their 35-44 year-old counterparts watched on a typical day in Q3 2019.

At face value, this trend would imply that by 2025, 55-64 year olds will be watching as much subscription video-on-demand as 18-24 year olds do now. But to assume this would likely be premature. 2020 has been a unique year, and demand for entertainment content during lockdown has temporarily accelerated some of the underlying sectoral and behavioural changes. Nonetheless, the speed of the viewing shifts which have occurred during the last 12 months indicates that under the right conditions and with the right incentives, video consumption behaviours can change very rapidly indeed. 

Source:Ampere Analysis 

ZEE5 Global today signed a partnership with Lulu Exchange, with an aim to reach over 100,000 consumers across Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar.

The partnership will see the alliance of two of the leading entities in their respective spheres, ZEE5 Global - the most comprehensive digital entertainment platform for Indian content, and LuLu Exchange - one of the largest financial service providers in the Middle East.

The partnership will enable Lulu Exchange consumers to avail a 1-month free subscription of Zee5 Global against a successful transaction. The offer will be made available to all customers who transact via LuLu Exchange, either through the Lulu Money App or the company’s physical branches.

Sharing her view on the partnership, Ms. Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global said “The Middle East is one of our highest priority markets globally, not only from an audience point of view but also from a strategic partnerships perspective. Lulu Exchange is a leading NBFC and has a vast reach in the region. We’re extremely thrilled to announce this partnership with them which will help us reach the vast diaspora audience in the market and give them immediate access to the largest bouquet of Indian and South Asian content.”

Adeeb Ahamed, Managing Director of Lulu Financial Holdings said “We are always on the lookout to create synergies with like-minded brands and offer our consumers something new and exciting. The partnership with ZEE5 Global beautifully blends with our long-standing mission to deliver satisfying consumer experiences and act as a unique value-add for the trust our consumers have placed in our services.”

With over 125,000 hours of Indian TV Shows, Movies, News and Videos, ZEE5 offers the largest bouquet of content across 18 languages to its audiences across the globe. ZEE5 today has the largest width and depth of content across Music, Cineplays, News, and Health and Lifestyle across genres ranging from dramas to thrillers, biopics, standup comedy and more.

LuLu International Exchange is a part of LuLu Financial Group, an ISO 9001:2015 certified global financial services enterprise headquartered in Abu Dhabi.

With this partnership, Zee5 Global and Lulu Exchange aim to jointly strengthen their presence in the Middle East.

These brands enjoy the best brand health among residents in the UAE, KSA and Egypt, respectively

Technology giants Google, WhatsApp and YouTube make an appearance in the Top 10 brands list of all three countries

Dettol enjoys a strong year in terms of brand health within the region

Google takes the top spot for best brand globally alongside tech giants WhatsApp, YouTube, Samsung and Amazon

YouGov’s 2020 Best Brand Rankings in MENA reveal that Emirates, Almarai and Google are the healthiest brands in the Middle East. While Emirates tops the rankings in the UAE for the fourth year in succession, Almarai and Google are the top-ranked brands in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, respectively.

The rankings were based on the Index score from YouGov BrandIndex, which is a measure of overall brand health calculated by taking the average of Impression, Quality, Value, Satisfaction, Recommend and Reputation1.

Despite the flight restrictions in place, perceptions of leading carrier brands have remained strong in the UAE and KSA. Emirates remains the top-ranked brand in the UAE scoring 59.9 points (with a marginal decline in its year-on-year brand health score), while Saudia has made a notable improvement to its brand perception, climbing up three places to come third in KSA’s list of top 10 brands (47.5).

Technology giants Google, WhatsApp and YouTube make an appearance in the Top 10 brands list of all three countries. YouTube has made a significant improvement to its brand perception among UAE residents and has jumped ahead three places to become the third most popular brand in the country (49.3). Google (47.4) and WhatsApp (50.4) on the other hand, did not register any change to their brand perception over the past year.

In KSA, YouTube (43.4), WhatsApp (41.7) and Google’s (41.7) year-on-year brand health scores did not witness much change. Although in Egypt, all three brands noted a decline in their scores.

Within the region, Dettol had a very strong year amidst the pandemic in terms of brand health. In the UAE, Dettol made a new entry in tenth (score) with a significant 5.6-point uplift in its score. In Egypt and KSA, it has moved up one and two places in the rankings, to seventh (38.4) and eighth (41.1), respectively.

Carrefour has consolidated its position in both UAE and Egypt. In the UAE, it remains in fourth this year scoring 48.6 (with an improved year-on-year score), and in Egypt, it has made an impressive new entry into the list in the sixth position (42.5).

Samsung has re-entered Saudi’s top ten list in tenth (39.6), while Dream Park and National Bank of Egypt are new entrants in Egypt’s list of top 10 brands- placed in eighth (37.6) and ninth (37.4) respectively.

The rankings also show the brands which have improved the most over the past 12 months.  Majid Al Futtaim is the most improved brand in the UAE, with a change in score of +11.0. It also appears in Saudi’s list of improved in the second place, with an enhancement of +6.2 to its score.

In KSA and Egypt, STC Saudi Telecom and KFC are the most improved brands, with a change in score of +8.4 and +9.4, respectively.

E-commerce giant noon.com appears in the improvers list of all three countries, displaying the strength of the regional ecommerce ecosystem during the challenging past year. In both UAE and KSA, noon.com is the third most improved brand, while in Egypt it ranks eighth (5.5) in the list of improvers.

The improvers list of MENA this year has a dominance of Food & Beverage brands, highlighting the role of familiar consumer brands in comforting residents during the ongoing health crisis.

Animation director Yuval Haker receives seventh-annual Levine/Leavitt Artist in Residence Award.

Five creatives from MENA are among the diverse group of 31 global winners in The One Club for Creativity’s prestigious Young Guns 18 competition, celebrating creative professionals age 30 or younger.

Young Guns 18 winners based in or originally from the region are:

Meshal Aljaser, filmmaker, Los Angeles (originally from Riyadh)

Eylul Duranagac, creative director, new media artist, Ouchhh Studio, Istanbul

Gaul Porat, cinematographer, director of photography, Brooklyn/London (originally from Rehovot, Israel)

Tala Safié, graphic designer, New York (originally from Beirut)

Yuval Haker, animation director, Brooklyn (raised in Tel Aviv)

In addition, Yuval Haker was also selected to receive the seventh-annual Artist In Residence Award from international artists management agency and Young Guns sponsor Levine/Leavitt.  

Young Guns is the industry’s only cross-disciplinary, portfolio-based global awards competition that identifies today’s vanguard of young creatives.  Submissions highlighting both professional and personal work were received from 40 countries and judged by the diverse jury of 82 top creatives -- about half of whom are past YG winners -- from 32 countries. 

“This latest class follows in the footsteps of past Young Guns winners as a diverse group of exciting new talent from around the world who push the creative boundaries in their fields,” said Kevin Swanepoel, CEO, The One Club.  “These five young creatives are blazing their own trail, and we’re proud to celebrate and elevate this next generation of creative leaders.”

Levine/Leavitt Artist In Residence Award

Yuval Haker was named winner of this year’s coveted Levine/Leavitt Artist In Residence Award, bestowed annually on the newly named Young Gun whose body of work truly stands out, as judged by an advisory board of industry professionals across a range of disciplines.  He will receive a full year of professional development, guidance and mentorship from Levine/Leavitt to help advance his career.

Humor, anxiety, and play are a big part of Haker’s work, consisting of animation for music videos, commercials, short films and documentaries.  His recent clients include Vox, Netflix, Sharpie, The Wall Street Journal, Square, Google, GE, Spotify, AIGA, Delta, Jack Daniel's, Bloomberg, IBM, State Street Global Advisors and Centrum.

“For the past six years, we’ve been so proud to sponsor the Young Guns awards,” said Jeff Levine, cofounder, CEO, Levine/Leavitt.  “It’s extremely exciting to nurture the growth of artists, especially those that are in the early phases of their long-term career goals.  It is with great pride that we announce Yuval Haker will join us as this year’s L/L Artist in Residence.  We truly believe his talent is exceptional, and his artwork exemplifies what we believe Young Guns represents.  We look forward to working with Yuval, and seeing all he will accomplish and conquer in the coming months..”

All Young Guns winners will receive a unique version of the iconic Young Guns Cube, designed exclusively for this year’s incoming class, and have their permanent profile page added to the Young Guns website.  Winners also receive a complimentary one-year One Club for Creativity membership, permanent membership in the Young Guns network, a chance to be featured in Young Guns events and an assortment of career-boosting opportunities from Young Guns sponsors.

Young Guns 18 branding and design of the Cube award itself is recreated each year by a past Young Gun winner.  This year’s YG18 branding and award are designed by CONTINO, New York, founded by creative director and YG9 winner Jon Contino.   

Past Young Guns include rising stars who went on to become leaders in their chosen fields, including graphic designers James Victore (YG1), Stefan Sagmeister (YG1), Natasha Jen (YG3) and Jessica Walsh (YG8); ad creatives Rei Inamoto (YG4) and Menno Kluin (YG6); illustrators Christoph Niemann (YG2) and Deanne Cheuk (YG4); fashion designer Kerby Jean-Raymond (YG14); artist/filmmaker Calmatic (YG16); film director/photographer India Sleem (YG17); photographer Ryan McGuinness (YG2); typographers Alex Trochut (YG6) and Gemma O’Brien (YG13); film and video director Mike Mills, animation artist Todd St. John (YG1) and others.

Young Guns 18 is made possible in part through the generous support of partners including CONTINO, Levine/Leavitt and Shutterstock. 

WPP and Anzu, an adtech startup specializing in integrating advertising into video games, today announced a partnership aimed at bringing commonly accepted advertising standards to the esports and gaming space. These standards, which include ad viewability and brand lift measurement, fraud detection and user privacy protection, are widely applied in digital advertising and will now be available for in-game advertisers. 

Responding to the accelerated popularization of gaming largely due to COVID-19, and the increased frustration from brands at the lack of universal standards for in-game advertising, this first-of-its-kind collaboration will make in-game advertising as simple and accessible as other commonly used channels and help to build advertiser confidence in the value of in-game media by using the technologies they trust.  

WPP and its agencies will utilize Anzu’s in-game programmatic technology to reach gamers across all gaming platforms. These platforms include mobile, PC and console, seamlessly integrating advertising into new environments without affecting gameplay. The partnership also encompasses an in-game advertising solution for esports tournaments, reaching gamers outside the home. 

WPP and Anzu are helping propel in-game advertising towards becoming a mainstream digital media channel and a top choice for brands interested in reaching the estimated three billion gamers worldwide. Advertisers will be able to track, report and audit viewable impressions in real-time, and adtech vendors will also be integrated in-game. 

Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said: “The pandemic has accelerated many trends, including the demand for in-game advertising. Delivering these new standards is a big step in bringing gaming and esports to the forefront of mainstream digital media channels. It also supports the wider gaming ecosystem by increasing monetization opportunities for developers and enabling more games to be made.” 

Itamar Benedy, Co-Founder & CEO of Anzu, said: “This partnership builds confidence in the value of in-game media, as marketers will be able to engage with an audience of over three billion gamers worldwide. Anzu in-game campaigns are scalable, measurable, and demonstrate the kind of multi-touchpoint campaigns brands are looking to launch.” 

The announcement follows WPP’s 2019 investment in Anzu’s Series A round of funding. 

Consumers seek out better audiovisual experiences and new ways of interacting with friends and family. Globally, 87% of people who connected over entertainment virtually did so for the first time ever in the last six months.

Dolby Laboratories, Inc.a leader in immersive entertainment experiences, released findings from a new global survey illustrating a significant shift in consumer entertainment behavior. Findings include a strong intent from consumers to pay more for enhanced picture or sound quality, new ways of interacting with friends and family while enjoying entertainment, and insights that people are investing more in their home entertainment. From this survey, it remains clear that consumers continue to want, demand, and are willing to spend more on enhanced experiences, now more than ever.

“Despite all of the challenges of this past year, this study has illustrated the power of entertainment in bringing us together with those that are most important to us,” said John Couling, SVP Commercial Partnerships at Dolby Laboratories. “We take great pride in creating more immersive experiences through our technologies and see the significant growth of Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos as proof that consumers are seeking these experiences as well.”

The survey, in partnership with Wakefield Research, polled 5,000 respondents from China, France, India, and the U.S. – examining consumption behavior, device buying decisions, and new habits being formed in the wake of this unprecedented year. With more time than ever before to watch and engage with entertainment, consumers are accelerating their interest in immersive content and new experiences.

The Power of Entertainment as a Shared Experience

One thing that remains clear during this year – the importance of human connection. Given the limitations of in-person experiences, society has shifted to new, virtual-first ways of connecting with friends and family when watching entertainment.

86% of global respondents connected with family and friends virtually while enjoying entertainment together over the last six months. This included activities like talking on the phone while watching the same content (45% of global respondents), texting while watching the same content (44%), video chatting while watching the same content (43%), as well as engaging in live chats while watching streaming videos (41%).

For a significant majority of people, within the last six months was the first time they have ever participated in virtual shared experiences while enjoying entertainment - with 87% of respondents noting this was their first time.

Consumers Desire Better Audiovisual Experiences and are Willing to Pay

Led by Gen Z and Millennials, consumers are spending more than ever on entertainment, which is fueled by the desire for human connection. People are also willing to spend more on premium subscriptions in order to receive a better quality experience.

Consumer spending on content has increased in the last six months and is led by Gen Z and Millennials globally, with Millennials in the U.S. increasing spending by an average of 38%.

Most global consumers have increased how much they spent on content since the start of the year, including 55% in France, 72% in the US, 94% in China, and 97% in India.

With this increase in spending, consumers are willing to pay more for a premium subscription to receive enhanced audiovisual experiences with 77% of total respondents indicating they would pay more for better picture or sound quality because it impacts how they connect with content.

In fact, 64% of respondents stated they had upgraded at least one streaming service to a premium subscription within the past six months.

Homes Are About to Get an Upgrade

Consumer investment in better quality experiences doesn’t stop at content, with respondents in all countries indicating that they plan to purchase new devices in the next six months to upgrade their entertainment viewing experience. While plans to upgrade traditional home entertainment devices remain strong, consumers are also planning to upgrade their mobile viewing experience which is fueled by a majority of consumers who used their smartphone, tablet, or PC as their primary device for consuming entertainment over the past few months.

82% of respondents plan to purchase a new device to upgrade their entertainment viewing experience in the next six months.

64% plan to purchase a device specifically to upgrade their living room entertainment experience (including a new TV, soundbar, home theater speakers, receiver, or streaming device).

Millennials are the most likely to make a living room upgrade at 73%, compared to 68% of Gen Xers, 58% of Gen Zers, and 50% of Boomers.

More than 4 in 5 (81%) of those who have paid to upgrade their streaming services to premium also plan to improve their living room entertainment experience.

While we have more devices than ever, television still plays a huge role – particularly with older generations. This is true in every market, but particularly in the U.S., where 65% of Boomers say that television is their primary entertainment device; 52% of French Boomers say the same.

60% of total respondents used their smartphone, tablet, or PC as their primary device for entertainment over the past six months and 44% of total respondents indicated that they plan to upgrade their mobile device in the next six months to improve their viewing experience.

As this survey shows, the drive for better experiences doesn’t stop at devices. Content adoption is also growing rapidly, completing the ecosystem that we have been building through global partnerships with leading streaming services that continue to release their top shows and films in Dolby technology every month.

“Ultimately, we expect the desire for more human connection to continue in the future and immersive experiences can help fulfill this demand,” added John Couling, SVP Commercial Partnerships at Dolby Laboratories. “Just as entertainment drives cultural conversation, that conversation drives connection across the globe, and we are seeing connections grow stronger every day through elevated entertainment experiences.”