WTDaBuzz research analysis · Global · 17 October 2026
A large entertainment-and-media forecast can establish industry context while still being far too broad to serve as a company’s addressable market. The useful next step is to identify the revenue pool the business can actually compete for.
PwC’s 2026–2030 outlook announcement, published on 20 July 2026, projects global entertainment and media revenue of US$4.2 trillion in 2030. It covers 12 sectors and 53 countries and territories, with connectivity, advertising and consumer spending among its broad segments.
Move from the industry to the customer
A specialist production company does not compete for every dollar of connectivity or consumer entertainment spending. Its market definition should begin with the service it sells, the organisations that buy it and the territories it can serve.
A useful sizing worksheet can state the included customer group and exclusions in plain language. That makes it easier for a reviewer to challenge the definition before debating a percentage of a much larger number.
Build the estimate from observable inputs
Depending on the business, relevant inputs might include an identifiable buyer population, the projects it commissions and the spending categories the proposed service addresses. Each input needs a period, source and explanation of what remains uncertain.
Where public evidence is incomplete, a range of clearly labelled scenarios is more transparent than a precise-looking point estimate. The business can then identify which customer research would most improve the decision.
Separate market size from a sales forecast
Even a well-defined market is not a forecast of the company’s revenue. The sales plan must explain capacity, customer acquisition, timing, pricing assumptions and the evidence of demand available to the team.
A hypothetical rights-data service, for example, would need to establish who buys its product and why, rather than apply a small share to the entire entertainment economy. The question is whether the proposed customers recognise and will pay for the problem being solved.
The global outlook is valuable as a map of the broader industry. A credible business plan then zooms in until its assumptions connect to customers, purchasing decisions and an operating model the company can test.
Scope: PwC’s 2030 values are projections, not completed revenue results. The sizing framework is original WTDaBuzz analysis. Featured image: illustrative cinema audience, Andrej Lišakov / Unsplash+.
