[CES 2020] Is this year's CES a consumer entertainment show?

[Courtesy of Quibi]

LAS VEGAS -- CES 2020 in Las Vegas will showcase not only TV, home appliances and automobiles but also content and entertainment companies. Now it is okay to call CES a consumer entertainment show.

According to the National Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which hosts CES, the number of media companies participating in CES was 86, the largest ever and 20 percent more than last year. Previously, media companies had focused on participation, but they are now emerging as mainstream exhibitors.

The absolute number is small compared to TV, home appliance, automobile, smart home and robot companies, but the quality of participating companies is the highest. All major U.S. companies gathered at CES. In fact, most companies that joined the U.S. streaming war such as Hulu, NBC Universal, Warner Media, Roku, Spotify, SiriusXM and iHeartMedia are participating.

Media companies will also carry out keynote speeches. Keynote speaker Jeffrey Katzenberg, founder and chairman of the short-form content Quibi, will introduce key features and the market strategy of Quibi Content, which will be launched in April. Quibi will only service mobile-only streaming content that are less than 10 minutes. It is the first of its kind to be showcased in this year's CES.

NBC Universal will also be on the keynote stage. NBC Universal has previously announced that it will launch its streaming service "Peacock" in April. NBC Universal plans to discuss future innovations in the content technology and entertainment markets. NBC is expected to introduce OTT Peacock during its keynote speech. Comcast has said it will invest $2 billion in Peacock over two years.

CNET says media companies are moving into the mainstream of CES. "In the last decade, CES has shifted to include more technology products including cars, exercise machines, and consumer electronics but still the key is TV," said the American tech media. "There was a revolution in the way you watched TV with streaming services like Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus."

Because realistic content affects the sale of 8K TVs, rollable TVs and micro-LED TVs, media content is expected to attract more attention at CES.

Future Designers CEO Choi Hyeong-wook said, "You can also see that the business value chain is moving from hardware to content and services. However, large South Korean companies are still lingering in the hardware manufacturing sector."

(This article was originally written by The Miilk reporter Ha Jin)

Park Sae-jin swatchsjp@ajunews.com

​[CES 2020] Is this year's CES a consumer entertainment show?

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[CES 2020] Is this year's CES a consumer entertainment show?