The 5 next big things in media and entertainment for 2026

The next big things in media and entertainment remove friction for both creators and consumers. From deploying AI to handle the tedious aspects of animation to leveraging new technology to make the experience of viewing sports more dynamic, these innovations handle the busywork so humans can focus on the good stuff. AutodeskFor empowering animators to spend more time on creative workMotionMaker, a new feature in Autodesk’s Maya animation software, uses an autoregressive motion generation model to predict character movement. As a result, animators can spend less time on repetitive production tasks and more time on iteration and refinement. The technology makes animation more like directing a digital actor than manually piecing together movement frame by frame. L-AcousticsFor making massive venues sound smallL1, the latest sound system from French professional audio company L-Acoustics, debuted at the Hollywood Bowl in May 2026. It does more with less when powering concerts in large venues, using software-steered sound to deliver consistent, studio-quality audio. A compact L1 column delivers the power of a traditional speaker stack up to three times its size, meaning fewer blocked s…