Media and technology can isolate people, meaning the industry needs to rethink inclusivity, according to Jaunt XR CEO Mitzi Reaugh.

The technological change in the last twenty years has seen a growth in content and formats that isolate, such as mobile phones, podcasts, streaming, and widespread headphone usage, Reaugh said in the closing keynote at IBC2019.

“Not all of the content we see out there is isolating,” she added. “We see huge continued growth in interest in sports and live events.”

Reaugh, who became Jaunt XR CEO in 2018, having joined the company two years earlier. She also holds roles on the boards of Harmonic and Entertainment One.

According to Nielsen figures, US adults spend 11 hours consuming media and six hours of that are alone. In the UK, only 30% of household member sin the same room are watching the same content – most are also looking at mobile phones or other screens.

According to Reaugh’s keynote, this can exacerbate unhappiness. She introduced a framework for the industry called PACE – Personalised, Accessible, Connection, Entertaining.

This means that media and tech solution should be personalised to the individual, but it also needs to be accessible across devices and across the world. Media can fulfil the human desire to connect to others, she added. “Even just sharing a media experience can be helpful,” she said.

“And it still has to be entertaining. Content is what drives a lot of usage of OTT channels, with figures showing 57% of people subscribe to OTTs for exclusive content and among millennials, it is even higher.”

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