Last year, the media sector saw a proliferation of media formats, advances in mobile devices, convergence and increased demand for personalized content. 2006 figures to be another year of change. This study examines 10 emerging trends sure to transform the media landscape:

1. Digital distribution will likely comprise a larger share of the global music industry.
2. The average screen size for watching television and video is likely to become bigger than ever, driven by the flat-screen market and a demand for HDTV content.
3. All media sectors will increasingly turn to digitized production processes, driven by cost savings and potential revenue growth.
4. New consoles will drive another strong year in the video game market.
5. 2006 will likely see a flurry of activity around IPTV (Internet protocol television) with numerous services launched around the world, primarily by telecommunications providers.
6. The business model for radio is primed for significant change with less of a reliance on advertising dollars.
7. The sector will increasingly view fragmentation as a benefit, realizing that the more formats a product or service is offered on, the greater the demand.
8. An expanding selection of products — such as video-on-demand, IPTV and podcasting — will make convergence an increasingly integral value generator for media companies.
9. High-definition television will expand into Europe while continuing to grow in the United States and Asia Pacific.
10. The proliferation of blogs will create the need for a new intermediary, a blog aggregator, which has the potential to lure advertising dollars.

The report includes recommendations from the Technology, Media & Telecommunications industry group on how to take advantage of these emerging trends. Read the full report in the PDF file attachment below.