The entertainment industry faces a year of change and adjustment in 2026. New technologies and merger activity will keep movies, TV and live events in play.ย
With the limitations of the COVID pandemic firmly in the rear-view mirror, the sector anticipates consumers will indulge in movies and live events, and brands will find new ways to tap into those audiences.ย
โWeโre looking towards โ26,โ said Michael Rapino, CEO of LiveNation. โIt looks like itโs going to be a great pipeline,โ he told analysts in late 2025.ย ย
LiveNation is seeingย double-digit growth in ticket sales, and expects similar growth in sponsorships and hospitality revenues next year, as consumers double down on their taste of in-person experiences. A recent LiveNation survey noted events are now triggers for travel, community-building and social sharing, and they are expected to continue growing next year.ย
โThe leading indicators that have to do with our show pipeline, tickets sold, our sponsorship committed โฆ a lot of factors that are pointing extremely positively,โ said Joe Berchtold, LiveNationโs President and CFO.ย
A steady pace of film releases will also feed the audienceโs appetite for new content. The upcoming lineup of movies โis about as strong as itโs been in a while, maybe stronger than itโs been in a while,โ said Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger. โWe are very bullish on the slate ahead,โ he recently told analysts.ย
Television, particularly free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) will also experience a boom, as major entertainment companies place bets on the channel, and connected TV will benefit from the decline in search advertising spending due to the rise of agentic AI. Roku has predicted FAST channels will hit a 10% share of all TV viewership in 2026.ย
โThe space available for intent-based ads is shrinking,โ said Sarah Harms, VP of Advertising Marketing and Measurement at Roku. โCTV increasingly remains a…