5 Entertainment Industry Predictions for 2025
5 Entertainment Industry Predictions for 2025
There was no way to guess what awaited us in 2025. But, there are some clues as to what is to come, especially in the entertainment industry. After all, this industry is a reflection of the world we live in.
1. The Television Industry is Forever Changed.
After the pandemic years of 2020-2022 and the strikes in 2023, the industry hasn’t been “normal” for many years now. The people of this industry have BEEN THROUGH IT and we are all looking for the light at the end of the tunnel.
My prediction, however, is that we won’t see that same “normal” again. 2025 is a year that we will continue to mold/adapt and most importantly, THRIVE, because we have the most brilliant, talented and resilient people working in our industry.
Budgets are lower and season pick-ups look very different. Gone are the days of 20+ episode season orders. Networks are thinking differently about risks, and that impacts how series are greenlit. Beyond this, massive re-organizations are happening across the board at broadcast networks, streamers, media and tech companies. These permeations and readjustments will likely continue to ripple through the TV and larger entertainment industry throughout the year, as we continue to rebuild and find that new “normal.”
2. Brands Aren't Going Anywhere.
While networks and media companies are slashing budgets and funds everywhere, brands have really stepped up in a big way to occupy this space in the industry. Impactful projects and content don’t necessarily need to be backed by a big, shiny network anymore. Brands are defining and creating some of the most meaningful and interesting content out there right now.
From a brand perspective, it’s a whole new world. They don't need to spend their money on traditional ad spends, but rather, can create, produce and distribute their own content.
It's really exciting to see what the brilliant minds behind these brands are stepping out to do.
3. There Will be Both Separation and Integration of Traditional Celebrity Talent and Digital Talent.
In working in talent over the last 15 years, there's been an ebb and flow of the definitions around celebrity and influencer. Thinking back to the mid 2010s, there were far fewer influencers and creators. We learned very quickly that their audience appeal and the impact they had on YouTube or Vine (RIP), just didn’t translate to traditional television. The worlds of digital and traditional tended to stay separated.
However, as time has gone on, the value of the creator and the influencer, not just on YouTube, but now TikTok and Instagram, has grown into an entirely different culture. There is a cross pollination of traditional and digital celebrity we’re only going to continue to see more of it.
Creators have millions of followers and their influence is tremendous — even more than most traditional stars in television and film, because of the amount of eyes that they’re reaching. A lot of them want to be considered a “celebrity,” in the traditional sense and break into mainstream entertainment fields, but the fascinating thing is that they are celebrities in their own right. Meanwhile, there are a lot of traditional celebrities — the music artists, the athletes, the actors, the actresses — who are immensely influential via their socials, but they're not necessarily influencers. They will endorse a product or a brand, but want to have a clear line between their role and that of a digital-first influencer/ creator.
What we’ll continue to see is how the definition of value changes when the concept of celebrity and influence is considered: Is it engagement or followers? attention? Is it prestige? Is it some intangible value that we aren’t yet using to measure? The intertwined relationship of these two fields will continue their gentle dance.
4. Talent is everything.
Right now, a lot of A-List talent are actually creating their own production companies — look at stars like Reese Witherspoon (Hello Sunshine), Drew Barrymore (Flower Films), Peyton Manning (Omaha), Lebron James (Springhill) —- They're creating projects that they want to create. And, this makes it tricky for other production companies to get the biggest names.
What we’re going to see is more talent and less celebrity. We're going to go a little bit back towards where we were 10 to 15 years ago, when you just needed really good talent. At first, Ryan Seacrest wasn't a celebrity. He was just a guy who was smart, talented and a killer at hosting a show. And look at his career trajectory since then! 2025 will be a time when more new faces and new names pop up.
5. Authenticity is Key.
If you spent all day scrolling social media, most of what you would see would be advertisements and influencers trying to sell you stuff. There’s an apathy towards it and a cultural exhaustion with feeling like we’re being sold something fake..
In 2025, the most important thing for both traditional media and the brand side is that sorely-missing authenticity. Your audience knows when something is inauthentic. We're going to continue to see more honesty and truth in not just projects, but products. True stories, a stripping back of the suspension of disbelief, and a new ruling class of content whose first intention isn’t to sell something. On the social and brand side, they will lean more into UGC content and the audience will recognize the authenticity of a regular gal from small town U.S.A. who uses a skin cream and how it has truly changed her skin. It’s already begun and this isn’t a trend that can be reversed — nor would I want it to be. I’m so excited for this new tide.