Warner Bros Wants to Disrupt the Entertainment Industry with IoT

The Internet of Things is a network of interconnected devices that work together to provide a cohesive experience for you. This growing industry is booming; IDC research predicted that global spending on IoT technologies will reach nearly $1.4 trillion by 2021. Since there aren’t many players in the field yet, there is a lot of room for innovation. And this is attracting all sorts of industries: healthcare, manufacturing, and even entertainment.

Big Space for Entry in a Competitive Industry

Recently, the University of Southern California hosted an IoT conference in Los Angeles, called the Intelligent IoT Integrator (I3) Consortium. Warner Bros was at the conference; the company is a founding member of I3, which was also co-founded at USC by engineering professor Bhaskar Krishnamachari. “I3 is looking at this notion that the internet is more than just people, it’s about people becoming more aware of their surroundings,” he says.

“The consortium is helping to make the conversation around IoT go beyond just one application, trying to allow third-party application developers to connect to data that’s coming from their communities, and build a large number of useful applications for IoT.”

With competition like Netflix changing the landscape of television revenues, Warner Bros is interested in developing its own technology to entertain and retain customers. Los Angeles-based developers heard Warner Bros announce their intentions of expanding their licensed movies and TV shows to connect with IoT. The company is reportedly looking into its customers digitally purchasing and personalizing experiences that integrate into their day-to-day through their devices.

The Complete Entertainment Experience

“What we sell can be sold as a digital right, the right to watch ‘Wonder Woman’ on your television, the right to walk into a theater to watch ‘Justice League,’ the right to play Injustice on your game console,” says Bryan Barber, who is VP of digital innovation at Warner Bros.

“The Internet of Things is a development that can create millions and millions of internet consumer touch points.” He’s right. For example, Amazon Alexa’s ability to seamlessly integrate with almost any technology is priceless, making it extremely valuable in today’s digital age.

Companies and technology will continue evolving to connect IoT devices with our personal lives. And IoT app developers and marketers alike will need to think outside of the box to create unique and desirable experiences. Look for IoT innovations in a theater near you.