Webinar Recap: UHD and the Future of Media & Entertainment
The UHD World Association (UWA) recently hosted the webinar "Exploring the Future of UHD in the Light of Key Trends in Media & Entertainment 2025," moderated by Maria Rua Aguete, Senior Research Director at Omdia, and featuring industry experts Jean Pierre Boiget, Head of Distribution Services & IT at StudioCanal Group, and Rémi Tereszkiewicz, Chief Marketing Officer at the UWA.
Maria started the session by sharing compelling market data, revealing that online video streaming is the fastest-growing segment in media entertainment, expected to generate an additional $150 billion in revenue from 2025 to 2029. Another crucial takeaway was a change in viewing habits around YouTube content, where a higher number of US viewers turn to larger screens and TVs now. This shift signifies heightened consumer demand for content on TVs, where UHD can play a crucial role.
UHD Content: A Necessity, Not a Luxury
Jean Pierre shared Studio Canal’s extensive experience in UHD content production. Studio Canal began producing content in 4K ten years ago, anticipating market trends. Currently, every new production, regardless of its scale, is produced in UHD. Jean Pierre also emphasized that UHD content is now a basic requirement for global content distribution for StudioCanal, particularly in international markets.
Additionally, StudioCanal is proactively converting its extensive library —spanning classics from the 1930s to contemporary titles— into UHD. This initiative underlines the long-term strategic value that the group places on UHD content as an essential standard rather than merely a premium option.
Linear Channels and OTT Platforms
The webinar addressed whether UHD is primarily relevant for subscription streaming services (SVOD) or traditional linear channels. Jean Pierre noted that Canal+ has already introduced several UHD linear channels, recognizing UHD’s value in enhancing viewer experience. However, he acknowledged the significant costs and technical challenges associated with expanding UHD broadly across all channels.
Rémi added perspective by highlighting the predominance of video-on-demand, noting that over 60% of content consumption in Western Europe is now non-linear, increasing further among younger demographics. This shift emphasizes the critical role UHD can play for platforms' strategies to develop a premium experience to attract, retain, and monetize viewers.
Addressing the Challenges: Cost and Bandwidth
One critical question from the webinar was why so few UHD channels exist despite the widespread availability of UHD TVs. Jean Pierre explained that the major hurdles include high costs and bandwidth constraints, especially on satellite and terrestrial networks, and the fact that this makes that UHD may not be the right technology for every content type or distribution channel. However, technologies like UWA's HDR Vivid standard —a royalty-free and open-source HDR format— are emerging as potential solutions to reduce delivery costs and expand UHD adoption.
HDR Vivid and Its Industry Impact
Rémi detailed the advantages of HDR Vivid, including its compatibility across multiple devices and lower barriers to entry, given its royalty-free model. Already successful in China, HDR Vivid aims to democratize high-quality viewing experiences, significantly influencing UHD adoption across diverse markets and device ecosystems.
Conclusions and Future Perspectives
Both Jean Pierre and Rémi underscored UHD’s strategic importance in the current and future media landscape. In particular, Jean Pierre called out that it is key to develop tools to ensure consumers see the content as the director envisioned.
With continued technological advancements and collaborative industry standards such as HDR Vivid, UHD is poised to redefine media consumption globally.
As this transformation unfolds, staying informed about emerging technologies, market dynamics, and new opportunities becomes crucial for industry professionals. To facilitate this knowledge exchange and foster innovation, UWA offers membership to new participants who wish to contribute to shaping the future of UHD. Join this collaborative journey by reaching out to [email protected] or visiting https://uhd-world-association.com/membership/.
To watch the webinar in full, click here.