January, 2026.- The “Future Of Content” panel at CES 2026 highlighted an industry in transition, defined by chaos, fragmentation and structural change after a decade of disruption. The leaders Val Boreland (President Entertainment, Versant), Julian Franco (President, Strategy & Operations, Fox Entertainment), Alison Hoffman (President, Starz Networks), Jay Levine (Chief Strategy & Business Operations, Sony Pictures Entertainment), Jon Liebman (CEO, Brillstein Entertainment Partners) y Cynthia Littleton (Co-Editor In Chief, Variety) agreed that the market now faces more platforms and less money, forcing a strategic reset across the ecosystem.
Specialization is becoming a key competitive advantage. Starz emphasized its focus on premium content for women and underrepresented audiences, supported by a partner-driven distribution model spanning platforms such as Hulu, Apple TV+ and Amazon.
Fox outlined its platform-agnostic ecosystem, leveraging independence to test, produce and scale IP wherever audiences are, from YouTube to live experiences. This shift accelerates development cycles and replaces traditional pilot pipelines with a decisive “go/no-go” approach.
Talent dynamics are also evolving. Creators increasingly operate as project-based gig workers, owning and producing their own content to counter instability. While digital platforms offer autonomy, monetization remains modest, reinforcing the need for hybrid models.
On revenue, AVOD is emerging as the new syndication window. Versant positions Fandango at Home as a hybrid AVOD and transactional hub, encouraging studios to share content across platforms to unlock value.
Ultimately, the panel agreed that the real competition is for attention itself, not just among streaming services but against all forms of content and distraction. Despite algorithms and AI, the North Star remains human creativity. Studios like Fox emphasized their mission to discover and empower storytellers, while the industry moves toward greater collaboration, exemplified by shared tools such as Rotten Tomatoes, to reach audiences in a more open and sustainable way.
