As video content continues to evolve, interactive opportunities will redefine viewer engagement.Alex Wallace, GM of News, Entertainment, and Studios at Verizon Media, talks about how the consumer experience will be transformed.
How will 5G impact the media industry?
5G will dramatically change not just how media is consumed but also how it is created. It will provide increased mobile bandwidth, speed, and access for the media industry, unlocking unprecedented opportunities for immersive content. We know 5G will markedly improve issues of latency and allow audiences deeper in-the-moment experiences. At Verizon Media’s 5G Studio RYOT, we are incubating these formats of the future with our partners to create how this will come to life for the consumer. Picture, for instance, the realism AR integrations can conjure by capturing and digitizing 3D objects and people and placing them into real-time content, without lag.
Greater bandwidth will also give audiences more autonomy and agency in how they view content, keeping them engaged. For example, expect interactive video feeds that allow consumers to switch between Ultra HD views of a live sports or music experience. The speed that 5G brings will also allow content creators to experiment with new mediums as varied as live animated broadcasts and combined live-action/computer generated performances.
How can we expect news delivery to evolve?
We recently launched Yahoo News’ XR partner program, which we believe will be the future of journalism, incorporating immersive experiences like AR and VR. 5G will play a major part in XR integration, making sure people are reading and watching and experiencing news on all devices and screens. In the next few years, the delivery of this type of content will involve less friction so that its consumption becomes intuitive and seamless and multi-screened. XR deepens the experience by bringing users closer to the stories they are consuming in a way that can increase both understanding and empathy.
How can AR and VR experiences bring social issues to life?
AR and VR have the unrivaled ability to put consumers at the center of news stories and in another person’s shoes. It’s the closest we can get to experiencing the news on the ground as it’s happening without actually being there physically. The more visceral and immediate stories are, the more readers and viewers can connect with them.
