Over the past decade or so, the entertainment sector has changed almost beyond all recognition. From in-person cinema screenings, physical media like CDs and DVDs, and brick-and-mortar gaming venues, the majority of entertainment has now moved online.

One of the many benefits of this new digital landscape is that much more variety can be made available in the same place. For example, Netflix has an online library containing almost 14, 000 titles that can be played at the press of a button, any time of day or night, as long as the watcher has an active subscription.

Similarly, Steam hosts over 50, 000 gaming titles, giving video game enthusiasts access to more options than they could ever successfully complete in one lifetime. This wealth of opportunity means that customers need never feel bored or run out of media to play, watch, listen to or otherwise engage with.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the biggest digital platforms bringing variety to their customer base.

Digital Gaming Platforms 

Gaming is one of the strongest entertainment sectors at the moment, if not the strongest. The industry has a total value of almost $200 billion and there are now over 3 billion gamers worldwide. That means that it is currently making more money than the music and movie industries combined. Due to its immense popularity, customers are demanding more titles, more platforms and more options all the time, leading developers to invest in tech which will satisfy consumer demand and continue pushing the industry forward.

Online poker platform PokerStars has been on the scene since the boom of the late 90s and early 2000s, building its presence in the sector and amassing a solid stable of players to form their pro team. During this time, the brand has also built a comprehensive digital platform where amateurs, pros and now groups can all play different varieties of poker online. The site is home to a wealth of info about the game, meaning that the rules of Texas Hold’em  and other variants are easily available and accessible for everyone to get to grips with before play begins. By providing an assortment of different poker types and ways to play, like VR poker rooms and mobile options, the platform not only appeals to a wider audience but also offers users the chance to delve deeper into the game and further enhance their skills.

Audio Streaming Services 

The way we listen to music has always been subject to change; live performances, vinyl records, cassette tapes, CDs, and digital audio files like MP3s all still hold a place in the industry, but nothing comes close to the modern-day popularity of streaming. This has been helped immeasurably by the increasing availability of 3G, 4G and now 5G mobile networks rolling out across the globe and the surge in smartphone ownership.

Spotify is one brand which has been there almost since the beginning and which is still going strong today thanks to their ability to shift and adapt to new customer bases and technological developments. Over the years, they have experimented with different payment tiers, advertising, partnerships with musicians, features, exclusives, and the integration of music videos and merchandise. Today, the platform is available on PC, mobile, wearable tech, games consoles and in-browser, and customers can listen to music from over 11 million artists whenever they feel like it. By winning over even sceptics such as Adele, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, they can confidently provide some of the best musical variety on the market.

Over-the-top Media Platforms

As mentioned above, over-the-top video streaming services like Netflix provide access for their subscribers to an unprecedented number of movies and TV shows. In fact, it could be argued that the global success of Netflix’s switch from a postal DVD rental service to an online streaming platform kickstarted a whole new industry. More recent platforms like Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and HBO Max have enjoyed enormous success since their respective launches, with most capitalising on Netflix’s lucrative model whilst also offering exclusive media that the American streaming giant does not have access to. Many households now subscribe to multiple different streaming channels so as to have access to all the shows and movies they want, rather than just sticking to one platform’s selection.