PwC: Global Entertainment, Media Revenue to Hit $4.2trn by 2020
Dike Onwuamaeze
A report by the PwC has projected that the entertainment and media (E&M) industry’s global revenue will grow to $4.2 trillion by 2030.
It also said that advertising, enabled by Artificial Intelligence (AI), will grow rapidly, topping $1.4 trillion by 2030, as marketers seek to meet consumers where they are accessing content and making retail decisions.
These projections are contained in a PwC report dated September 2026 and titled “Global Entertainment & Media Outlook 2026–30: Digital Innovation Drives Demand for Human Experiences,” was authored by the Global Entertainment & Media Sector Leader, and Partner, PwC United States, Mr. Bart Spiegel.
The survey for the report covered a total of 53 countries and territories that are spread across North America, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Latin America and Asia Pacific.
According to the report, the E&M industry remained on a firm growth trajectory, adding that the projected revenue will be fuelled by technology and live events.
“PwC’s Global Entertainment & Media Outlook forecasts that spending in the vast industry will rise at a 3.4 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2030, when total revenues will reach $4.2 trillion.
“In an age of digital innovation, live and immersive experiences, including sports, concerts, and trade shows, will show significant growth as consumers seek in-person experiences,” the report said.
It added that this expansion, which is expected to unlock $600 billion in new revenues in 2030 alone, will be overwhelmingly driven by digital ecosystems across the E&M landscape.
The report said that the global E&M industry grew by 5.3 per cent in 2025, with total revenue from advertising, connectivity, and consumer spending reaching $3.5 trillion, and it should rise another 4.6 per cent in 2026.
It urged players in the E&M ecosystem who want to capture their share of those new revenues and turn these revenues into profit, to act quickly.
“Innovation has forged change in the creative industries, and it will continue to do so.
“Increasingly powerful digital technologies centred on AI will disrupt and change the way E&M products and services are created, distributed, and monetised.
“These shifts will alter profit pools along the value chain, open the door for new business models, and transform consumer expectations,” the report said.
However, the PwC said that AI would not change what people expect and need from entertainment and media.
“No matter how digital and algorithmic the user experience becomes, at its root, E&M remains an industry built on human craft and human experiences.
“Expertise, judgement, creativity, nuance, emotions, needs, relationships: these fundamentally human attributes drive engagement, interest, and passion.
“Going forward, technology, and especially AI, will enable more effective and efficient means of connecting people to one another, and connecting marketers to consumers.
“The most rapidly growing of the big three E&M sectors—advertising—is geared towards reaching individuals wherever they experience and interact with content, and precisely when and where they choose to make purchasing decisions,” the report said.
The PwC stated that among the clear findings in the report is that “consumers in 2030 will want choice, low prices, and digital access—even if their willingness to pay for these things remains limited.
“In a digital world, people will be increasingly attracted to real-world experiences that are immersive, emotional, contextual, and personal.
“Advertisers will keep spending more to meet customers where they want to be.
“Advertising surpassed $1 trillion for the first time in 2025, and it will rise to $1.4 trillion in 2030.”