The twelve largest media companies, including Comcast, YouTube, and Disney, spent a record $210 billion on content in 2024, but this new peak marks the end of uniform spending growth and the beginning of a more calculated era focused on profitability.
The great reallocation: A new KPMG report shows the industry is trading its content arms race for a more deliberate strategy. While overall spending is up, budgets for pricey scripted and reality shows are tightening, with that cash being funneled into sports rights and the booming user-generated content ecosystem—now the fastest-growing investment category.
Models in motion: The old lines between business models are blurring as studios adopt platform-like feedback loops and sites like YouTube professionalize creator-led content. This convergence is happening as the hybrid approach of mixing subscriptions with ad-supported tiers becomes the undisputed industry standard.
Rise of the creative co-pilot: AI is emerging as a key factor in content creation, not as a replacement for talent, but as an assistant to speed up production and trim costs. The technology is expected to augment workflows and unlock greater ad targeting personalization, further shifting how content is made and monetized.
The era of spending for growth at any cost is over. The media industry's future isn't just about making more content, but about making smarter, data-driven bets that can prove their return on investment.
The industry's pivot toward profitability was largely catalyzed by the lingering impact of the 2023 labor strikes. Meanwhile, investors are also changing how they measure success, with engagement metrics like time spent and click-through rates becoming more important than raw subscriber numbers.
