Market conditions and employee attitudes suggest that hybrid working is here to stay, yet this is presenting obstacles for organisations and workers alike. Effective communication and collaboration channels that bridge the physical and virtual divide still remain a key challenge.

There’s plenty of awareness about how XR can enhance the gaming experience, but there’s far less knowledge about how XR can promote diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) – particularly for training employees.

The UK video entertainment market continues to put in an energetic performance, despite cost-of-living pressures stemming from high energy bills and rising food costs. A newly released report from Futuresource Consulting shows that the industry bounced back from its COVID-induced slump in 2021 and continued climbing, ending 2022 with an additional 10% growth.

Esports has come a long way from its reputation as being a niche hobby for teenagers. In recent years, esports has rocketed into a multi-billion-dollar opportunity, spanning multiple industries and garnering audiences on a global scale. From 2019 to 2020, revenues grew by 5%, and the following year, they jumped by another 17%.

Futuresource Consulting announces global audio leader HARMAN as the platinum sponsor for Audio Collaborative 2023. The event will return to the Ham Yard Hotel, London, on the 9th of November 2023 to explore issues and opportunities across the audio landscape.

A new consumer research study by Futuresource Consulting has found that streaming services are now the largest medium for audio consumption, as traditional FM/AM and DAB radio falls behind into third place.

Smart speakers continue to be the most popular home audio product, despite ownership falling by three percentage points in 2023. That’s according to a new consumer research study by Futuresource Consulting, which analyses the behaviour patterns of home audio consumers across the USA, UK, Germany, Japan and China.

Over the last 70 years or more, the physical design of the office has changed, yet its role in commerce has remained largely the same. However, the situation is shifting, and 2023 is a year of new mindsets, driven by technological advancements, globalisation and evolving social dynamics.

Consumers have an unwavering appetite for TWS technology, a new research study from Futuresource Consulting shows. Audio Tech Lifestyles, the firm’s annual consumer research survey, sheds light on the behaviours and habits of audio technology consumers across the USA, UK, Germany, Japan and China. 

Professional power amplifiers continue to gain momentum after a pandemic-induced poor performance in 2020. The market achieved a global value of $668 million in 2022, according to Futuresource Consulting’s latest industry report, and is on track to exceed pre-pandemic levels this year, with a projected market value of $753 million.

Gaming headsets and accessories may not carry the glamor of a new title or console launch, but they’re just as vital to the modern gaming experience. As gaming rose to prominence and became a common hobby and a career, the number and complexity of accessories on the market deepened.

As Futuresource begin to collect responses to this year’s Smart Home Consumer Survey, our smart home team has discussed key predictions on how events in the last two years have shaped consumer spending, motivations for purchasing, and overall sentiment around smart home products. Sophie Harding, Graduate Research Analyst, provides her insight.

Cloud services continue to make an impact on the AV industry, ushering in new capabilities and changing the way that AV systems are designed, installed, and operated. Now, the inescapable rise of IoT, along with cloudification, virtualisation and container-based applications, is bringing AV and IoT devices together into a shared domain

The home audio market has endured its fair share of turbulence after an unprecedented boom during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the market is wrestling with instabilities, Futuresource Consulting’s new report on the Global Home Audio Market indicates a re-strengthening from 2024 onwards.

After a spell of limited innovation during the pandemic, professional pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras are entering a new technological era. Futuresource Consulting’s brand-new report reveals that AI and automation are the powerhouses behind many of the new-generation products entering the market, with auto-tracking, facial recognition, and automated camera switching being some key product features.

XR is a catchall term that refers to virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR), three technologies that – although in varying ways and to different degrees – help immerse an individual in virtual spaces.

Unsurprisingly, global video entertainment has already seen a wealth of change in 2023. As certain markets near saturation point, subscription services are adopting various strategies to retain viewers and combat churn.

Global demand for televisions is set to remain weak in 2023, with total TV shipments for 2023 forecast to contract by 2%. Although some pockets of optimism remain, and the market is expected to stabilise in the long term, inflation continues to rear its head and dull the global economic outlook, leaving consumers unmotivated to upgrade their televisions. That’s according to Futuresource Consulting’s latest report into the global TV market outlook.