All the big entertainment apps are starting to look the same, and that’s no coincidence. For a decade, platforms have been fighting over who controls one format: music, video, podcasts, and audiobooks. Now with AI, they are competing for bigger things. No matter what format your content is in, it’s quickly becoming the default app you can always turn to to kill time.
There are several reasons for this. As the entertainment app market reaches maturity, growth is slowing and companies are competing on time spent and revenue per user rather than new sign-ups. Additionally, today’s creators often work across a variety of formats, so it makes sense to provide a home for all of your content, not just some of it.
AI adds a third reason. This makes it easier for a single company to successfully build and operate multiple formats, and the wider the mix of content, the more time users spend in the app, which in turn increases both ad revenue and subscription fees.
Netflix is one clear example of this trend, with the service adding games, live sports, and other events over the past few years, and more recently short video clips and podcasts. The idea is to find ways to get more out of users’ time, even when there’s no TV or movies they want to watch, and take advantage of the little free time they have, which is usually filled with things like scrolling social media, playing casual games, or watching TikTok or Reel.
Spotify is also expanding its footprint beyond its original premise as the home of streaming music. After adding podcasts, the company added support for video podcasts, social features such as:
In addition to Q&A, comments, stories, and messaging, it also includes different types of content such as fitness classes, audiobooks, narrated magazines, and physical book sales.
Meanwhile, YouTube, originally home to long-form creator content, has shifted to short-form content to compete with TikTok, while also adding dedicated spaces for podcasts, gaming content, music, movies and TV, sports and news, shopping, and more. You can now watch free movies and TV with ads, stream live content, and rent or buy TV and movies to add to your library. As things stand, incorporating YouTube TV and YouTube Music into YouTube’s native content and selling tiered access to the entire bundle is likely to be a question of when, not if.
Even TikTok, which is primarily known for short videos, offers support for long-form content and other features such as travel planning, shopping, local exploration, and buying tickets to live events. It also has its own standalone app for microdramas, as well as an app called TikTok Pro Events for sports events like the FIFA World Cup, music festivals, and more.
Although there are still some differentiating factors between the two services, there is a clear trend toward convergence on a similar feature set focused on providing users with access to content for viewing, playback, and shopping.
AI comes into play here as well. Now that format is no longer a differentiator, the value these apps provide depends on how well they connect users with what they want next.
The role of AI in building future entertainment operating systems
AI makes it easier to recommend content across a variety of formats, increasing personalization while giving users more direct control over how these recommendations are made.
Spotify, for example, is testing a tool that lets you edit your taste profile, an AI-built model of your preferences. We’re also building AI features that allow users to chat directly with the AI about what they want, not just music, and create playlists of their favorite things.
Netflix filed a similar lawsuit. Co-CEO Greg Peters told investors on the company’s first quarter conference call that the new model’s architecture improves personalization and allows teams to iterate faster.
AI-assisted coding also increases the speed with which these companies can initially build and launch new content areas.
Additionally, generative AI can also be used for content creation, although the topic remains controversial as artists worry that AI tools will use their work for training purposes or even lose their jobs. For better or worse, Netflix is leaning into AI, such as recently acquiring Ben Affleck’s AI film production company for $587 million.
YouTube has used generative AI not only to launch more creator tools, but also to improve its search engine, add conversational AI features, build playlists, auto-dubbing, and expand the reach of its content. The company announced earlier this year that in December, more than 1 million channels used its AI creation tools and 20 million consumers used Gemini AI-powered content discovery tools.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai is putting AI at the heart of the YouTube experience for both creators and viewers.
TikTok built its own version with an in-app AI chatbot, AI video creation tools, AI-driven search and recommendations, and AI-powered accessibility features.
Of course, all four companies are also applying AI to their ad stacks, helping marketers create ads, target audiences, set prices, and measure results.
For consumers, this integration means fewer reasons to switch apps altogether. Wherever you land, you’ll have more data about your habits and stronger lock-in, making it harder to break out even if prices rise or quality declines.
As the lines between music, video, podcasts, books, and games blur, the battle going forward is no longer about which format will win, but rather which app will be the place for entertainment, regardless of the format it is presented in.
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