With the predictions, we look into the future of the most relevant technologies, innovations and developments in the content industry together with 20 experts.
With our predictions, we take a look into the future of the most relevant technologies, innovations and developments in the content industry. We asked 20 experts from our nextMedia network to predict what users and providers can expect in the new year 2025.
Next year will be dominated by the hyper-personalization of original content through audio. Personal AI assistants will evolve from Siri to Jarvis and enrich our lives in meaningful ways. Game audio is revolutionized by LLMs: Virtual and real worlds are merging, immersive, non-linear conversations with NPCs are becoming a reality. In addition, technologies such as image-to-sound or sound-to-image are taking inclusion and accessibility to a whole new level. After the flood of generic AI content - the "tsunami of crap" - boring copy-and-paste solutions are a thing of the past. Instead, the focus is shifting back to original, surprisingly creative ideas that can be adapted and personalized across platforms with the help of AI.
2025 will be a year of demarcation for media brands: a polarized environment - marked by the break-up of the coalition government and an economy plagued by recession - demands classification and orientation more than ever. At the same time, information overload and increasing news fatigue are making target groups more demanding and selective. 2025 will be a year of demarcation for media brands: a polarized environment - marked by the break-up of the coalition government and an economy plagued by recession - demands more than ever for classification and orientation. At the same time, information overload and increasing news fatigue are making target groups more demanding and selective. Media brands need to sharpen their positioning: What added value do we offer our target groups? What topics do we stand for? What tonality characterizes our content? How do we make our differences visible? Our strength lies in in-depth research and high journalistic standards that set us apart from superficial 15-second clip formats. Platform conformity alone will not lead to success. 2025 requires media brands to be able to strengthen their brand value on every platform with relevant content, innovative storytelling and meaningful marketing campaigns. And not as a reaction to the fast pace of the digital space, but as a conscious positioning against superficiality and increasing division.
Manual prompting? It's becoming as basic as Excel! From 2025, intelligent assistants will be on the rise. They will automate work steps across systems and fundamentally change collaboration in teams. OpenAI, Microsoft, Anthropic, Google - all the big players offer agents and want to use them to further conquer the world of work. But every click, every prompt has its price: it feeds the tech giants' hunger for data. Companies are therefore faced with the question: how much digital autonomy are they willing to sacrifice for progress? Data protection, copyright and ethics are becoming decisive criteria when choosing the right AI solution - as is the question of who determines the values according to which these systems act. AI often reproduces prejudices and power structures without reflection. How do we ensure that it remains fair and responsible?
How can brands still stand out in the constant flood of information and advertising options? In my opinion, it is clear what will be expected in the digital environment in the future: Playfulness, fun interaction and a certain escapism from increasingly complex everyday life. Gamification. Mobile games as a media channel for brands can offer exactly that. In the first cases, we measured an average playing time (=time spent with the brand) of 9.4 minutes - which means positive interaction instead of a one-sided advertising message. The advantage for consumers? A fun incentivized interaction with the brand in their own brand game without spending money. The challenge for brands? To be brave with these emotions and translate them in a meaningful way. This will be rewarded with loyalty. In 2025, the digital environment will once again be more about emotions - the real ones: While AI is automating digital content marketing, 2025 will see a counter-movement: Brands will focus on emotions and playful engagement.
The Fediverse will break the monopoly of the big tech giants in 2025 - quietly, but sustainably. Three reasons why we have been running our own Mastodon instance under Bonn.social since 2017:
So: Stay confident and federate!
Perfectly staged content for as many likes and comments as possible: The competition for reach and engagement is putting creators under increasing pressure. Many feel forced to pretend in order to be successful. But more and more creators are escaping this illusory world. Instead, they are becoming "more real, less perfect" and want to be closer to their community again. In my opinion, authentic insights, genuine interaction and humor will therefore be back in focus in 2025. So many successful creators are currently expanding their presence on Snapchat or reactivating their old accounts. I look forward to seeing how creators will break new creative ground here.
Advertising is increasingly less trusted, while social proof - especially customer reviews - is gaining in importance. As recently as November, we surveyed 1,000 German consumers via the market research company Qualtrics and found that 52% trust customer reviews as much or more than recommendations from family and friends. This trend is reinforced by "swarm intelligence": reviews pool opinions and provide orientation at a time when information is often perceived as unreliable. This in turn means that companies are increasingly using positive reviews as a marketing tool to increase click and conversion rates - especially in markets such as the UK, Denmark and the Netherlands. Relevance is also increasing in Germany.
What began in 2024 will continue in 2025: AI tools are flooding the market with content that can be generated, scaled and distributed in the shortest possible time. While production quality continues to improve, one challenge is becoming increasingly obvious: without (human) creativity, real impact remains a crapshoot. The increasing possibilities of tools do not free us from finding surprising insights, developing original ideas and telling emotional stories. Even if their packaging and creation process changes with AI, it will still be the good old idea that helps brands and products to stand out from the ever-increasing mediocrity. And that still requires people. Or a lot of luck.
AI and fake news will still be with us in 2025 - so it's all the more important to remain vigilant. With Donald Trump, a president is returning to the USA who, according to the Washington Post, is said to have made over 22,000 false or misleading claims during his first term in office. Even in wars, the truth dies first: the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East show how central fact-checking remains - especially in the face of new technologies. News literacy remains and will remain indispensable. In my opinion, schools and further education programs should make young people in particular aware of fake news and AI-generated content. At the same time, technological solutions such as digital watermarks or blockchain are being developed to verify content. These approaches could help to better expose deepfakes and disinformation.
Traditional search engine volumes will decline in the foreseeable future, while the role of AI in search behavior will become increasingly important. This presents media companies with the challenge of developing new reach and putting business models to the test. Traditional reach marketing remains a relevant revenue pillar, but will have to be supplemented by other digital business models in order to transform journalistic brands. Strong quality brands and credible journalism with in-depth research are more important than ever to create trust and orientation. Data and AI will become the central discipline for understanding customer needs and user journeys in order to build sustainable customer relationships.
Video podcasts are no longer just a trend, but are becoming a matter of course - especially for Gen Z, both on the creator and user side. The boundaries between traditional podcasts and video content are becoming blurred. Long-form content, which previously tended to be in pure video format, is reaching a new target group as a video podcast on platforms such as Spotify.
But despite the boom in video, audio remains audio. The combination of both formats takes Discovery to a new level. The interplay expands creative freedom and creates new closeness and authenticity between creators and audiences, which strengthens user loyalty. Video podcasts are an increasingly important entry point to the medium without losing its core - telling stories and building connections. The future of podcasts is interactive and hybrid: a symbiosis of audio and video that opens up new avenues for content, communities and monetization.
Gaming platforms such as Roblox or Fortnite will continue to grow into a relevant social media and touchpoint with young target groups in the coming year.
This requires a rethink of content and branding strategies: By understanding their presence in virtual 3D space as an integral part of branding, brands are making themselves fit for interactive and immersive experiences in a digitally networked world.
The "virtual first" approach is revolutionizing brand communication by focusing on the virtual brand core. This enables efficient content creation and opens up innovative, holistic touchpoints along the entire customer journey.
Everyone is chasing advertising money. We will also see this in the content. Instead of expensive prestige series, Netflix and co. will change tactics and focus on formats that were previously the last line of defense for linear television. After the technical knockout during the Mike Tyson boxing match, Netflix will get up and get its livestream technology in top form. Because the next sporting event, including the Beyoncé Halftime Show, is waiting in the wings. In addition to investing in reality TV, more training sessions are being done in game and talk shows. Amazon is already strong in this area and could also become a one-stop store for streaming content. Spotify is attacking from the other end, emphasizing the benefits of video podcasts. But it still has to prove that users will follow suit. Meanwhile, most of the prize money continues to go to YouTube.
One possible trend for 2025 is the increased discussion about the regulation of social media, especially for young people. With growing concerns about disinformation, influence on political opinion and mental health, more and more people are calling for stricter measures. One possible innovation could be, for example, the labeling of political content, as with advertising, in order to better inform young users. In addition, media literacy for young people should be anchored in the curriculum to better prepare them for the digital world. The aim is to increase transparency, protect democracy and promote responsible use of social media.
In the coming year, the film and television industry will continue to struggle with a decline in the traditional segment of commissioned productions from streamers and broadcasters. Falling budgets are forcing our partners to cooperate and us producers to find creative financing models. This makes it all the more important for the industry to demonstrate its innovative strength in new business models and take advantage of the opportunities offered by AI. Creativity plus AI is already making films and genres possible that were previously impossible or almost impossible to finance from Germany - such as good science fiction. But the biggest opportunity and most important change for the film industry with a view to 2025 is the upcoming film funding reform and we are therefore looking forward to the politicians and their decision for Germany as a film location. The planned tax incentive model would be the push that the film industry urgently needs to remain internationally competitive.
2025 will be a special year for communities, content creators and users, because social media platforms will work and look very differently to how we know them today. AI functions such as meta-AI will be introduced and lead us to even longer and more intensive use. Tailored content for your own community will matter more than ever, as it will be increasingly difficult to reach your own followers. Every video can become a viral hit. Community building through interactions is taking place with a new emphasis in comments and direct messages. On the one hand, this all leads to more strategy and density in content production, as the battle for attention is decided in milliseconds. But it also leads to more dynamism and new content opportunities.
In 2025, the importance of equal opportunities in the education sector, as emphasized by the German government's Startchancen programme, will continue to grow. This development underlines how important it is to create learning opportunities that take into account the individual needs of pupils and provide targeted support. In reading promotion in particular, I see an increasing demand for adaptive, interactive content that meets learners at their own level. However, as the speed of innovation increases, there is also pressure not to lose sight of quality and educational benefits in favor of mere technological progress. The challenge and at the same time the potential of the education sector lies in developing digital learning media in such a way that they promote sustainable learning and critical thinking - beyond mere technical innovation.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly penetrating the creator economy and changing the way content is produced, internationalized and distributed. While creators are benefiting from these technological advances, social media consumers - 81% of Germans after all - are increasingly confronted with having to categorize AI-generated content alongside authentic stories: A challenge that could become clear as early as February in the upcoming federal elections. The central question remains: For all the integration of tools into our everyday professional lives, have we given sufficient thought to users' AI literacy? Or are we facing a crisis of confidence that will not only manifest itself at a societal level, but will also affect the working level of every creator?
In 2025, the development of independent artists and labels will continue to gain momentum. Local talent will strengthen their presence in the charts and increasingly tap into global markets. These trends will be driven by digital innovations and data-driven strategies. At the same time, the influence of AI on various aspects of the business will increase. I expect that by 2025 we will see increased political debate and initial regulations around the use of AI. It is up to us as an industry to use these technologies responsibly and in line with the interests of artists. Clear principles and ethical guidelines are essential, which is why we have developed our own guiding principles: Consent, Control, Compensation and Transparency.
My prediction for 2025 is also an appeal: brands and agencies, work together with content creators who take a stand. In 2025, there will be no such thing as an apolitical stance from a company, agency or creator. Not speaking out and not taking a stance is also a stance in this society. One that will continue to be criticized by communities. And rightly so. Because regardless of whether it's social injustice, democracy, sustainability or geopolitical conflicts - brands, agencies and creators are part of a public sphere and therefore also bear responsibility for it. Not speaking out is also an attitude - but a bad one. As Tashim said in his acceptance speech at the Videodays Awards: "It's not too political when creators say that human rights must not be violated and that racism sucks." Brands that are too cowardly to express their values will have to borrow their courage from creators.
