As we welcome 2021 with open arms and leave 2020 behind us, we all felt a bit of a void not welcoming the new year with our annual trip to Vegas for CES. Fortunately, despite its virtual presence, this year's event did not disappoint. In fact, it was an impressive feat with attendees and participants alike, absorbing the innovation, knowledge and trends that will shape the technology world in the coming years from the comfort - and safety - of their homes.
One of the key highlights was the 2021 Variety Entertainment Summit: A CES Partner Program, where Andr Kudelski, Chairman & CEO of the Kudelski Group, was a featured speaker during two popular sessions. The first was a one-on-one interview with Variety NY Digital Editor, Todd Spangler titled, Key Technology and Innovation Trends . He then joined the Tech Heroes of the Pandemic panel moderated by Variety Artisans Editor, Jazz Tangcay.
In line with the current events of the world, both sessions explored how the M&E market, as well as communities, businesses and individuals everywhere, have been fundamentally transformed by the COVID crisis. Attendees gained a unique perspective on Mr. Kudelski's knowledge and holistic vision of the global innovation and technology landscape. If you were not able to attend the virtual event, here are the key takeaways:
Tech Trends to Watch in 2021:
According to Mr. Kudleksi, the main technology and innovation trends to look out for in 2021 include cloudification, telecommunications and security. Variety's Hanna Hensler's recent article, Kudelski Group CEO Andr Kudelski on the Top Technology Trends to Look Out for in 2021, includes important takeaways, as well as access to the one-on-one interview that took place during the event.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) advancements also ranked high on the list of trends to watch. This includes AI as it applies to helping people adapt faster in their current environments. AI should not be looked at as a standalone technology, but rather a way to enhance the way people work and react faster and better to get things done.
Taking a closer look at security threats, the need for content protection is on the rise because pirates are taking advantage of the disruption in the world combined with an increased demand for content from consumers. This is not isolated to media content; the same trend applies to consumer data. Taking the correct steps with the right technologies can help address this issue. Moving forward we will see that the need to protect data and content will be more important than ever before.
Acceleration of Digitalization: A Fundamental Change in How We Move Forward
For years, businesses have been looking for ways to accelerate digitalization. However, massive strides were not made until a number of actors, companies, individuals and societies were essentially forced to make the leap to digital. Until now, there was never a strong enough reason to stop, disrupt business, and restructure the way we do business. This global crisis forced people out of their comfort zone to take the necessary, calculated risks to keep business going while implementing new and innovative ways to work.
The only way to survive in such a disruptive time is to adapt, to adapt quickly and to change the engrained behavior that has been embraced for decades. Fortunately, many have found innovative ways - fairly quickly - to adapt. This is the key in today's digitation acceleration, with initiatives that took years are now taking months. It is a radical shift.
Optimizing Collaboration - Making Connections in a Digitized World
Not a single company or even a single government can do everything by themselves. This is why collaboration is so important. With the current landscape, it is more challenging to collaborate effectively as face-to-face meetings are limited. Tech innovations are trying to fill the void, but there are a number of important meetings that are simply not effective in a remote environment. Face-to-face interaction is essential. Moving forward, there must be investments in ways to make true collaboration possible with a balanced approach that includes the right technologies, combined with in-person experiences when necessary.
Activating Immersive Entertainment Experiences
In the M&E world, there is a chemistry when people come together. This not only applies to the professional side of business, with innovations such as remote working and remote production, but also in the relationships between people when you deliver an ultimate entertainment experience. Unfortunately, this chemistry has been limited with the pandemic. Now, there is a real opportunity to interconnect fans and viewers to enjoy something together by using technology to reproduce a sense of community. Once pandemic is over, this will morph into a hybrid solution between the two - both in-person and digital experiences. Consuming content for entertainment purposes will no longer be a passive experience.
What's Next:
If there is one thing we have realized over the past year, it is that we are not able to choose the downside of a crisis. However, it's important to note that in every crisis there can be immense opportunity and when reach the bottom, there is only one way to go and that is up. By taking a look at the current tech and media landscape, we can see that there is so much opportunity to be had when digital transformation technologies and people are in sync and the desire to evolve is embraced.
Contact us to learn how NAGRA can help M&E companies innovate in todays digitized world.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
As we welcome 2021 with open arms and leave 2020 behind us, we all felt a bit of a void not welcoming the new year with our annual trip to Vegas for CES. Fortunately, despite its virtual presence, this year's event did not disappoint. In fact, it was an impressive feat with attendees and participants alike, absorbing the innovation, knowledge and trends that will shape the technology world in the coming years from the comfort - and safety - of their homes. 
