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Date:
April 16, 2024

Looking Ahead to 2030: Thriving in the Localization Landscape

"The only way you can predict the future is to build it." - Alan Kay

The world of film and television is rapidly evolving, driven by continuous technological advancement and the insatiable global demand for content. As we look towards 2030, the localization industry stands at the forefront of this transformation, poised to redefine how audiences worldwide experience their favorite shows and movies. To thrive in this dynamic landscape, localization companies must adapt and innovate.

Embracing AI and Machine Translation

The media and entertainment (M&E) industry must fully embrace artificial intelligence (AI) and machine translation (MT) technologies to remain competitive. By 2030, these solutions will be sophisticated, enabling accurate, context-aware translations and event identification. However, human oversight will remain crucial for quality assurance and guaranteeing cultural nuances are correctly identified and cataloged. To be prepared, M&E companies must investigate and integrate cutting-edge AI/MT solutions into their workflows. At the same time, they should cultivate teams that can quickly assess AI/MT output to maintain the highest quality and preserve the story's integrity.

Delivering Personalized Experiences

The personalized, culturally specific localization trend will intensify as streamers and TV manufacturers develop smarter, AI-driven user-level content filters. These filters will enable parents to limit their children's access to content based on criteria beyond age restrictions. For instance, if a parent smokes and is comfortable with their children seeing adults smoking on television, they can adjust the filters to allow such content on their TV.

To accommodate this trend, companies must develop expertise, data, and workflows that can process content in ways that cater to device, individual, or familial preferences, regional dialects, and cultural contexts. By leveraging cultural knowledge, data analytics, and user profiling, valuable insights can be unlocked to create personalized experiences that resonate authentically with their target audiences.

Mastering Immersive Media Localization

As virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality experiences become mainstream, fully localizing these immersive and interactive formats will be critical, requiring rethinking existing workflows. While the dimensions and fields of view for TV and theatrical screens have remained relatively unchanged for decades, VR and AR products, such as Meta's Quest and Apple's Vision Pro, expand the field of view to 110 and 120 degrees, respectively. Moreover, The Sphere in Las Vegas offers a stunning 360-degree field of view. As the production of large-format titles increases, there will be a significant increase in the amount of content that needs to be analyzed to ensure compliance with cultural norms and regulatory requirements.

Specialized techniques, tools, and expertise must be developed to guarantee that the content produced for these environments adheres to regulatory and cultural expectations while fostering audience engagement and story authenticity. Collaboration between content creators, localization professionals, and technology providers will be essential to success in this rapidly evolving landscape.

Prioritizing Accessibility and Inclusivity

By 2030, accessibility will become a non-negotiable requirement in many countries worldwide. Subtitles, audio descriptions, and accurate dubbing will be an even more integral part of content delivery to consumers. The first step is understanding how each market requires accessibility and inclusivity to be addressed. Localization providers must establish workflows to ensure that relevant standards are understood and processes are in place to guarantee that localized content meets all legal requirements. This proactive approach will help content creators and distributors stay compliant with regulations and demonstrate their commitment to creating an inclusive and accessible viewing experience for all audiences.

Building the Future

As the localization industry plays a vital role in shaping the future of global content distribution, Spherex's innovative SpherexAI™ platform empowers localization companies to efficiently and effectively adapt content for diverse audiences worldwide. By leveraging Spherex's advanced AI, extensive cultural knowledge, and deep understanding of regulatory requirements, localization providers can streamline their workflows, ensure compliance with local norms, and preserve the integrity of the original content. Integrating SpherexAI™ into their processes enables localization companies to deliver personalized, immersive, and inclusive content experiences that resonate with global audiences.

As the industry evolves, partnering with Spherex will be crucial for localization companies to build a future where they can successfully navigate the complexities of global content distribution and unlock the full potential of storytelling in the international marketplace.

Related Insights

The Future of Advertising: Why Cultural Intelligence Matters More Than Ever

In today's borderless media landscape, where streaming platforms deliver films and TV shows to over 200 countries instantly, advertisers face a critical challenge: ensuring their ads resonate with diverse audiences while maintaining cultural sensitivity and brand safety. Traditional advertising approaches, relying on demographics, basic localization, and keyword filtering, often fall short. These methods fail to capture the emotional and cultural nuances of different markets, leading to misplaced ads that miss the mark.

To navigate these challenges, brands must go beyond surface-level strategies and adopt a deeper understanding of how content resonates emotionally and culturally across markets. This is where innovative approaches come into play, offering a way to not just reach global audiences, but truly connect with them on a profound, culturally aligned level.

Emotional Arbitrage: The Key to Better Ad Targeting

A groundbreaking approach called "emotional arbitrage" is revolutionizing how brands connect with global audiences. This strategy identifies moments of cultural tension and resolution within content, enabling advertisers to strategically place their messages for maximum impact.

When viewers encounter cultural dissonance—a scene that challenges their deeply ingrained values—they unconsciously seek resolution. Research indicates that brands offering this resolution through culturally aligned messaging achieve significantly higher engagement, recall, and positive sentiment.

Consider a scene in a TV show where a young woman defies her family's expectations by pursuing a career in the arts. In some cultures, where familial respect and tradition are paramount, an ad for an educational institution that helps young people find their passions might be appropriate. Conversely, in cultures prioritizing individual expression and self-discovery, an ad for a bank that helped a young woman open a clothing store featuring her designs could resonate more effectively.

By strategically placing ads that align with cultural expectations, brands can forge deeper emotional connections with viewers, ensuring their message is not just seen, but genuinely felt.

AI-Driven Solutions: The Next Frontier of Cultural Intelligence

Imagine a technology that can analyze video content, not just for keywords or demographics, but for the subtle nuances of cultural and emotional context. This technology could identify moments of tension, humor, sadness, or joy, and pinpoint exactly where an ad would resonate most effectively with a specific audience. Such AI-driven solutions are transforming the advertising landscape, empowering brands to tailor their messages with unprecedented precision and cultural sensitivity.

How AI-Powered Advertising Enhances Performance

By leveraging AI for cultural intelligence, brands can achieve:

  • Strategic Ad Placement: Ads are placed at moments when viewers are emotionally primed to engage, increasing effectiveness.
  • Brand Safety Assurance: Prevents ad placement in content that could be misaligned with brand values or culturally sensitive.
  • Higher Engagement & Recall: Ads become part of the storytelling experience, reinforcing brand messages rather than disrupting them.
  • Scalability Across Global Markets: AI-driven insights allow brands to optimize campaigns for diverse cultural contexts without manual intervention.
The Future of Culturally Intelligent Advertising

As digital content continues to transcend borders, understanding how different cultures react to media is no longer optional—it's essential. Advertisers that embrace cultural intelligence and leverage AI-powered solutions will not only protect their brand integrity but also forge stronger, more meaningful connections with global audiences.

In a world where content is universal but cultural experiences are unique, the brands that adapt will be the brands that thrive. The future of culturally intelligent advertising starts now. Click here to learn how SpherexAI can elevate your advertising strategy.

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Spherex Classification Tool Now Approved for Home Entertainment Content in Australia

The Albanese Government has updated the Spherex Classification Tool approval to include ratings for theatrical releases, home entertainment, and streaming content in Australia. Spherex was previously approved to classify online films.

The update underscores the Australian Classification Board’s confidence in Spherex as a tool to help Australian viewers make informed choices about the content they consume. This means Australians can now access a range of new films sooner than they might across all formats and windows.

Spherex has a longstanding relationship with the Australian Classification Board. Since 2020, Spherex has collaborated closely with the Australian Government to ensure its technology reliably generates classification decisions that meet Australian standards and viewers' expectations.

As the world’s only commercial provider of local age ratings, Spherex has successfully produced classification decisions for high volumes of online content in over 100 countries. Since 2018, Spherex has issued over one million age ratings for digital content, including films, TV shows, and trailers, distributed by its clients worldwide.

Spherex customers, including Umbrella Entertainment, Madman Entertainment, and Sugoi Co., rely on its AI-based platform to obtain local age ratings in Australia and significantly improve efficiency, cost reduction, and market reach.

Discover how Spherex's cutting-edge AI-based platform can streamline your content classification process and enhance your market reach while reducing costs.

Visit spherex.com today and see how we can support your content distribution needs.

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Spherex Featured in the DPP's IBC 2024: Demand versus Supply Report

Spherex was featured in the DPP’s IBC 2024: Demand versus Supply Report, a comprehensive look at how the M&E industry is meeting key customer demands. The report focuses on the topics of empowering creators, understanding audiences, engaging users, and innovating the newsroom. It also highlights many of the technical innovations seen at the recent IBC Show.

An article by Spherex’s CEO Teresa Phillips titled "Navigating Cultural Resonance in Global Media: The Art and Science of Culture Mixing" was featured in the report, exploring how Spherex is pioneering the future of culturally informed content.

Teresa shares how cultural mixing has become a critical strategy for creating content that appeals to diverse audiences in today's global media landscape. This phenomenon involves blending elements from different cultures to craft films and television shows that resonate globally while adhering to local regulations.

However, the process of culture mixing is fraught with risks. Superficial or stereotypical representations can lead to accusations of cultural appropriation or insensitivity, alienating audiences and damaging a company's reputation. For example, imposing Western concepts on Eastern content without proper context can feel inauthentic and jarring to local viewers. These missteps highlight the need for a nuanced understanding of cultural elements to ensure that content is respectful and engaging.

To address these challenges, M&E companies are increasingly turning to data-driven solutions. Platforms like SpherexAI utilize artificial intelligence to analyze visual, audio, and textual elements, providing insights into how well content aligns with cultural and regulatory standards across over 200 countries and territories. This approach helps media companies understand the "cultural distance" between a title's origin and its target market, enabling them to make informed decisions about global distribution.

By leveraging these advanced tools, M&E companies can go beyond traditional content localization. They can create media that actively engages and resonates with diverse audiences. As the industry continues to evolve, those companies that embrace culturally informed, data-driven approaches will be better positioned to succeed, fostering cross-cultural understanding and trust while delivering globally appealing content.

Download the report here.

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