Imagining The Future of Television Entertainment at Home: From Connected TV and Beyond

Television has undergone a seismic transformation since its inception in the early 20th century. What began as a broadcast-only medium with limited programming options and linear viewing schedules has evolved today into a complex, bi-directional and deeply personalized experience.

So what might it look like next? To get there, we will first rewind and look briefly at how we got here. But before we start, we want to be clear about one thing - and that is the true passion we have at Origin for entertainment and the ways in which brands, who are the lifeblood of our entertainment, support the very existence of said entertainment.

For an ad to work in today's society, a viewer must engage. And for a viewer to engage, they must be offered something of value in exchange for their time and attention. For anyone not familiar with what we do at Origin, this simple premise is the bedrock upon which we provide brands with the kinds of creative enhancements that we do.

Past - TV1.0

In the 1950s, television quickly became the centerpiece of the American living room, delivering both entertainment and a new advertising frontier. Classic TV commercials were short, punchy, mass-oriented and dominated the airwaves, targeting broad demographics with little regard for audience segmentation (who might be watching).

By the 1980s and '90s, the rise of cable television increased the number of available channels, created niche content and allowed advertisers to separate/fragment audiences. However, advertising models still largely relied on age and gender-based targeting. With the advent of digital technology and the internet, a new era was ushered in - one where on-demand content, streaming platforms, and data-driven advertising would redefine the living room experience.

Present - TV2.0

Today, we stand firmly in the Connected TV (CTV) age, where internet-enabled televisions and devices have merged the best of digital media with the traditional TV screen. CTV platforms like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and smart TVs offer consumers unprecedented access to video content be it live, on-demand, ad-supported (AVOD), or subscription-based (SVOD). Viewers no longer passively consume content; they curate it. Meanwhile, advertisers gain the ability to deliver dynamic, personalized, and measurable ads in close to real-time.

Worth noting at this point, is the speed at which television is evolving - in terms of both the way we find and access entertainment, as well as the ways by which advertisers can target, engage and measure the outcomes of their ad campaigns.

However, one thing has barely changed - the existence of 'ad breaks' which disrupt the viewing experience, and the way in which brands sit within those breaks as '20 foot and 40 foot shipping containers'.

Future - TV3.0

As CTV matures and a new generation of thought leaders start to imagine new ways to leverage TV's 'digital connection' with the living room, the future of television could one day look even more different than it does today. And just as importantly, the way brands 'exist on television' has a chance to be unrecognizable when compared to how they do today.

To help illustrate this, let's break out the future of TV into imminent future and imaginary future:

The imminent future

(what savvy advertisers are exploring today but is not yet mainstream practice).

In the near future, both TV content and ads will become more immersive, more relevant and more entertaining. Expect hyper-personalized content feeds powered by AI-driven recommendation engines that anticipate user moods, preferences, and even social contexts. Instead of navigating menus, viewers will engage via voice or gesture and the ads people see will feel like they have been created just for them, adapting to the household using information such as geography, interests, purchase behavior and time of day. We know this last piece because this is what we can already do today at Origin - FYI.

Brand messaging will be driven by real-time dynamic creative versioning (DCO), meaning they will no longer need to rely on generic, sanitized messaging. Instead, creative assets will be tailored in real-time, transforming Connected TV into a full-funnel marketing channel that drives awareness, consideration, and direct conversion - all from the couch.

The imaginary future

(where we consider history, evolving human behavior and the speed of change).

About three years ago, we predicted that viewers would one day look at their TV as the heart of the home (sorry, kitchen). Through their TV, they will be able to switch seamlessly between content, video calls, e-commerce and interactive experiences. Put more bluntly, TV will become a two-way thing, through which people can attend church services, be contestants on live game shows and perhaps even attend concerts with friends who are half a world away.

The way brands exist and fund this new era of entertainment will be unrecognizable compared to the current 'shipping container' format we still see today. Instead, they will learn to exist 'natively' within the entertainment itself - but not merely through product placement and sponsorship. They will become a part of the story in ways we are only starting to imagine and when that happens, the future of TV will have arrived.

Conclusion

Television has journeyed from a one-size-fits-all broadcast model to a hyper-targeted, dynamic, and interactive platform. As Connected TV continues to dominate the living room, its blend of rich content, smart technology and personalized advertising will not just enhance entertainment - it will revolutionize how we behave, communicate, shop and discover new brands from the comfort of our couches.

The future of television is not just connected - it will be intelligent, immersive and finally, it will be truly consumer-first.

If you find this topic interesting and would like to know more, you can schedule a consultation with one of Origin's CTV specialists by clicking here.

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ABOUT ORIGIN 

Origin is an award winning provider of creative solutions and services for media buyers, creative teams and brands who want to transform conventional CTV ad creatives into powerful, personal and provocative advertising experiences.

With unparalleled creative capabilities and proprietary ad serving technology, Origin’s unique suite of dynamic ad overlays and native CTV ad extensions allows advertisers to engage distracted audiences and achieve the results they need.

Founded by media veterans Stephen Strong and Fred Godfrey, Origin is driven by the belief that winning viewers today requires breaking free from how it was done yesterday.

Learn more at: originmedia.tv