The Newhouse School’s Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship today released the 2018 Media-Nxt report, a compendium examining emerging technologies that are disrupting the media industry.
The theme of the report is Combinatorial Innovation: creatively combining technologies to solve media industry problems and create opportunities.
“Our team has identified five media technology trends that are emerging, and we think smart media companies can create even more,” says Sean Branagan, who directs the Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship and oversees Media-Nxt. Topics include dApps for Blockchain; Computational Image Manipulation; Ambient Intelligence; Cognitive Media Measurement; and Media Infrastructure.
This is the second annual Media-Nxt report. The inaugural report was released in Fall 2017 and provided an overview of six emerging technologies that are already beginning to change the industry, plus four other technologies that are following fast behind.
The report also included a curated list of 35 early-stage media tech companies from all over the world, with the intention of helping more established media companies embrace relevant new technologies by connecting with up-and-coming companies.
According to Branagan, three of the 35 startups highlighted in the report were acquired: Regaind was acquired by Apple; Kitt.ai was acquired by Baidu; and Sayspring was acquired by Adobe.
In addition, 11 of the other startups raised additional investment, totaling about $74 million. Major investors in the other startups included Verizon, Samsung, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, and businessman and investor Mark Cuban.
“This year’s Media-Nxt Report aims to be just as prophetic,” says Branagan.
He adds: “Media executives need to identify, support and develop ways to do what writer Maria Popova described: ‘Optimize our minds for combinatorial creativity—by enriching our mental pool of resources with diverse, eclectic, cross-disciplinary pieces which fuse together into new combinations.’ This is how the media industry can become a disruptive force, instead of continuing to be the disrupted. Let’s shape the future of media.”
To receive a copy of the 2018 Media-Nxt report, visit Media-Nxt.org and enter your email address. For more information, contact Branagan at jpbranag@syr.edu.
