For a long time, entertainment has been about storytelling, music, movies and live performances. It’s only how people experience it that has changed. Think back two decades ago. Watching a new film meant standing in a line at a crowded theatre or driving to your local video rental store. Listening to music often involved buying entire albums on CDs, or if you were really dedicated, creating custom playlists on burned discs.
Well, things are no longer the same in 2025 – virtually everything has moved online, making it possible to access entertainment through digital platforms conveniently. A good example to consider would be betting. You don’t have to worry about accessing a physical destination to place wagers. With platforms like megabetlist.com emerging, you can now immerse yourself in these experiences with just a few taps on your smartphone.
Because of this unmatched level of convenience, many people across the world can now participate in the industry. It is no wonder that Fortune Business Insights values the global online entertainment market at $99.98 billion and expects it to hit $261.23 billion in the next few years. But how are these online platforms influencing the business of online entertainment?
Aligning With The Age Of Data
Thanks to the rise of online platforms, companies can now better understand users. Every click, skip or pause offers in-depth insights that can help distinguish preferences and provide relevant experiences. In such a time and age, no one wants generic recommendations. And you don’t want to imagine the pain of losing up to 62% of consumers, who, according to Performance Marketing World, shift loyalty elsewhere if companies don’t tailor experiences.
Worse still, according to Contenful, you may frustrate up to 76% if you don’t personalize. Considering the rising customer acquisition and retention costs, you want to integrate personalization into your operation to avoid disappointing such a large number of shoppers. And that’s precisely what has earned brands like Netflix and Spotify a name. In fact, features like Spotify Wrapped have moved from mere summaries of people’s music habits to becoming cultural forces.
And you may be surprised to learn that in 2021 alone, more than 120 million users used Wrapped, with over 60 million sharing on social media. According to Use Insider, about eight in ten users will be more likely to shop from brands offering customized experiences. As if that’s not enough, customization can help cut customer acquisition and retention costs by almost 30% (28%). Given this industry’s competitiveness, companies are now turning to personalization to take advantage of these statistics.
Improving User Experience
For some, it may be shocking to discover that about 90% of businesses have made customer experience their primary focus. In online entertainment, users don’t just want content; they want easy integration. For instance, they shouldn’t have frustrating web experiences just because they switched from desktops to mobile devices with smaller screen sizes.
Clunky sites, which need pinching or zooming, often hurt the user experience, leading to increased churn rates. According to JDM Digital, such mobile-unfriendly encounters may discourage about six in ten users from becoming loyal. To avoid such losses, this industry’s companies are welcoming responsive designs, with which they are able to ensure consistent website encounters across all devices. Remember, people now use mobile phones to do almost everything, including online entertainment. After watching a movie on their TVs at home, they may want to immerse themselves more on the go using these devices.
Again, almost everyone has a smartphone. Data from Exploding Topics puts the global ownership rate at 90%. Not tailoring your site for mobile usage means you may never reach these multitudes. But that’s not anyone’s dream, explaining why responsive websites have become popular tools for improving competitiveness.
Reaching Global Audiences
One of the most significant transformations digital platforms have brought is accessibility. A filmmaker in Lagos or a singer in Seoul can now share their work with audiences worldwide without worrying about geographical limitations. They won’t even need to worry about huge budgets and physical distribution networks, which are significant challenges for traditional media.
Consider when Squid Game launched in 2021, for instance. Thanks to Netflix, its influence quickly exceeded the borders of South Korea. Can you believe it drew over 111 million views in just 28 days? This made it the biggest launch in Netflix history at the time of its release, surpassing the previous record holder, Bridgerton. Thinking that such non-English productions would ever have that level of reach about two decades ago would seem illogical. However, it’s now the new norm.
The days when only a few communities would dominate the industry are long gone. Niche societies can also have a share, bringing a balance that never was. In fact, if you want to become a content creator, the process is as simple as having a camera, and you are good to go. Editing tools have also become more accessible, enabling everyone to produce engaging content without spending a lot of resources.
You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand how online platforms have transformed the entertainment industry. Beyond changing how users engage with content, they have converted global audiences into accessible markets. They have also changed how companies connect with users, with the focus now on making entertainment more user-friendly. And as tech advances, companies will continue to use it to maximize the impact of these online platforms.