The Future of Entertainment is in your Living Room
Entertainment venues have changed dramatically over the last couple of centuries. Back in the 1800s, there was a time that if you wanted to enjoy music you had to listen to a live performance or play the music yourself. Nowadays, if you want to hear a particular song you can download it to your smartphone in no time at all.
The events of 2020 changed the way people viewed entertainment even further. Lots of people found themselves working remotely for the first time. Others were put on furlough and spent a lot of time with little to do. Many people who were locked down at home experienced boredom and frustration.
It was during this period that more people than ever turned to their mobile devices, computers, and the internet, to find some form of entertainment. And, now they have discovered the variety available, are not going backward.
Here is why the future of entertainment is in your own home.
No one is going to the cinema anymore
Cinemas suffered greatly in 2020 along with other entertainment venues as they were forced to close. The second-largest cinema chain in the world, and the UK’s number one, Cineworld announced that they had a record $3 billion loss over the last year as Covid forced audiences to stay away.
The result of this was that more people chose to subscribe to streaming services. Back in March 2020, Netflix had over 180 million paying subscribers but that number surged upwards as the pandemic struck.
With many companies offering quality streaming services with a simple, affordable monthly payment, many people are finding it more convenient to watch movies at home. Big releases are finding their way to the small screen at the same time as cinemas, and it remains to be seen if people will return to theaters after Covid ends.
No need to buy records or CDs
The way people have purchased music over the years has changed multiple times. People used to buy sheet music to play themselves. Next came recordings and the Coin Actuated Attachment for Phonographs meant that for a nickel up to four people could listen to a song being played.
Later, vinyl, audio cassettes, 8-track, laserdiscs, DAT, CDs, and Mp3s, all came along. Now people can search online for the best music streaming sites and listen to music on-demand in their bedroom, living room, kitchen, or wherever they fancy.
No need for book shops anymore
Depending on your view, the internet can be seen as progression or it could be something that is destroying the traditional retail experience. One area that the internet has damaged is book shops.
For many people, devices such as the Kindle have allowed them to read more books from more genres than they would have done previously. To read a book now no longer has to mean a trip to a library or shop. Books can be downloaded in seconds onto e-readers.
Online casinos in your front room
Casinos and sportsbooks were also hit during the pandemic and this led to a rise in online gambling. There are unique benefits to playing in online casinos, and these include convenience, 24/7 opening, and a huge variety of games.
Online casinos are seen by millions as a very valid form of entertainment and can let people play live poker or blackjack with players from across the world.
They also contain slots, bingo, roulette, and a lot of games that might not be available locally in certain countries. Due to local gambling laws, there may not be any casinos or sportsbooks but players can use off-shore operators to enjoy blackjack or slots.
You can still be sociable from your armchair
Of course, the majority of people don’t want to stay indoors all the time but the lockdowns showed many that they could get by quite well by using the internet.
Social media allowed millions of people to stay in touch with their friends, family, and loved ones, while they had to spend extended periods away from them. Covid meant that many people were trapped overseas and couldn’t return to their homes and their families.
Around the world, 4.5 billion people are using the internet and out of these, 3.8 billion are active on social media. This means there must be an awful lot of people conducting a large part of their social lives from the comfort of their home.
Younger generations are enjoying bingo at home
There is a certain image associated with bingo, and it is one of the reasons that the game has been in decline for years. No matter how hard marketers tried, they just couldn’t entice younger people to join bingo halls to replace previous generations.
This has now changed and advertising for online bingo is very often aimed at a much younger market. EDM music, celebrities, and young models are used in the advertising for bingo.
Online video gaming is getting bigger
There are over 2.5 billion video game players across the planet, and many of these play online. Whether those games are chess, Fortnite, slot machines, poker tournaments in a casino live or standard, Dota 2, or Minecraft, millions are finding their entertainment by sitting in front of a console, laptop, or mobile device.
This form of entertainment is so popular that there are streaming sites, such as Twitch, just for watching other people play games. Esports tournaments involving games like Dota 2 or CS: GO have pool prizes of millions of dollars, and guess what? They are streamed live into people’s homes for entertainment.
Summary
It is clear that many people now rely on the internet for more than just emails or browsing. Depending on their profession, people can work remotely from home, they can also order food and groceries to be delivered. Amazon has a wide range of products that are shipped directly meaning there is no need to visit a shopping mall. And, entertainment is at anyone’s fingertips.
If these entertainment websites, apps, and platforms continue to evolve and grow then there may be fewer people using traditional venues for their leisure time. When Covid finally ends, will the cinemas, casinos, and other venues see the same footfall as before?
