DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group held its fifth annual EnTech Fest at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles Feb. 25. The one-day event featured keynotes by Cineverse CEO Chris McGurk, Netflix ad chief Amy Reinhard, and Kartel CEO Kevin Reilly; exhibits, panel discussions, case studies and fireside chats; and the DEG’s signature annual reception. Conference topics included emerging technologies, the consumer experience, immersive storytelling, artificial intelligence and advanced content delivery. Launched in 2022, EnTech has become a key event on the digital entertainment world’s annual calendar. (All photos by Media Play News staff)
Tag: DEG
Future of Digital Entertainment to Take Center Stage as EnTech Fest 2026 Opens Today
Entech Fest 2026, one of the premier events on the digital entertainment industry’s annual calendar, takes place today (Feb. 25) at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.
Produced by DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group, the event is expected to draw hundreds of entertainment and technology executives for discussions on the trends and issues shaping the future of content distribution, streaming, immersive storytelling and advanced media technology.
Register here for EnTech Fest 2026
The one-day event features keynote presentations from leaders such as Chris McGurk, chairman and CEO of Cineverse, and Amy Reinhard, president of advertising for Netflix, who will talk about the evolving role of advertising, monetization and platform strategy in streaming.
Another keynote, “Telling Stories With More Power and Flexibility Through AI,” will feature Kartel CEO Kevin Reilly and Empire House’s Rick Hack. They will talk about how the future of advanced content creation and distribution will be built with more efficient processes for integrated workflows, intelligent systems that support content creators, and frameworks that amplify marketing.
Also on the AI front are a conversation with Quinn Favret of Tavus, exploring what happens when content can respond, adapt and hold a conversation; a fireside chat with entertainment lawyer Ken Ziffren, who will share his views on how the use of AI in entertainment will develop over the next five years; a panel discussion on how AI can help consumers in search and discovery; and a case study panel, “Adding AI Layers to Modernize Legacy Product Offerings,” which will explore how two companies are innovating their legacy offerings by leveraging AWS’s AI Prototyping Team to help make their customers’ workflows more efficient.
EnTech Fest 2026 also will provide plenty of opportunities for networking, including the DEG’s annual reception, which prior to the pandemic was held each year in Las Vegas during CES.
There’s also an exhibit floor with displays highlighting emerging technologies, the consumer experience, immersive storytelling, and advanced content delivery.
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DEG: Ad-Supported Subscription Streaming Revenue Soared in 2025, With Digital Sales and Rentals Resilient
Ad-supported subscription streaming dominated in 2025.
The segment’s revenue jumped 60.9% in 2025, from 2024 to $10.3 billion, growing more than any other home entertainment segment, according to data from DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group.
The growth dwarfed non-ad-supported subscription streaming revenue expansion, which grew 13.4% to $47.2 billion.
Overall total home entertainment spending tallied $62.2 billion, up 17.4% from $53 billion in 2024.
Overall subscription streaming revenue jumped 19.8% to $57.5 billion, continuing to dominate the home entertainment marketplace and accounting for more than 92% of all U.S. consumer spending on home entertainment.
Meanwhile, digital transactional sales (EST) and rentals (VOD) fell 3.3% and 4.7%, respectively, year-over-year to $2.2 billion and $1.6 billion, respectively. For the year, total spending on digital transactions (including all VOD and EST, but excluding subscription streaming) showed resilience, falling about 4% for the full year, to almost $3.9 billion. In the fourth quarter, spending on digital transactions (EST and VOD) fell 20.2%, to $843 million, over-indexing on a 45% drop in box-office spending on titles released to the home. Softness in theatrical new release box office power — historically a key driver of transactional home entertainment spending — contributed to a fourth quarter decline in EST spending of 24.3%. The fourth quarter of 2025 included tough comparisons with titles released in the year-earlier period, which included two $600 million-plus-box office theatrical hits: Disney’s Deadpool and Wolverine and Inside Out 2, and the TV hit “Yellowstone” season five, part two, from Paramount.
In the fourth quarter, spending on digital rentals fell 14.5 percent, also as a result of the weaker release slate.
Among the 2025 fourth quarter’s best-performing titles released by DEG member companies across all transactional formats were Black Phone 2 (Universal); Caught Stealing (Sony); The Conjuring: Last Rites (WBD); The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Disney); Good Fortune (Lionsgate); Jurassic World Rebirth (Universal); The Long Walk (Lionsgate); Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning (Paramount); Nuremberg (Sony); One Battle After Another (WBD); Roofman (Paramount); and Tron: Ares (Disney).
Meanwhile, spending on all physical formats, including DVD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD disc, showed some resilience, dropping less than 10% in 2025 and the fourth quarter, according to the DEG. The small but premium 4K UHD category provided buoyancy, with spending on the collectible format flat or up for every quarter, finishing the year up 12%.
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Artificial Intelligence Key Theme at DEG’s EnTech Fest 2026 Feb. 25
Artificial intelligence will be a key theme at DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group’s Feb. 25 EnTech Fest 2026 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.
The lineup includes a keynote conversation, “Telling Stories With More Power and Flexibility Through AI,” featuring Kartel CEO Kevin Reilly, who is known for reshaping network and streaming content over four decades, who will discuss with Empire House’s Rick Hack the opportunity to enhance storytelling with AI that extends human creativity. They will discuss how the future of advanced content creation and distribution will be built with more-efficient processes for integrated workflows, intelligent systems that support content creators, and frameworks that amplify marketing.
Also part of the program is a conversation featuring Quinn Favret of Tavus and moderator Ben Relles of the Office of Reid Hoffman, exploring what happens when content can respond, adapt and hold a conversation. AI-powered avatars and digital twins are turning passive viewing into interactive experiences, opening new possibilities for how audiences connect with talent and storytelling. This session will explore where AI avatars are already gaining traction, where interactive video is headed and why it matters now.
In a fireside chat with leading entertainment lawyer Ken Ziffren, known for his groundbreaking deals in film and television, Ziffren will share his views on how the use of AI in entertainment will develop over the next five years. The chat will be moderated by The Wall Street Journal‘s Ben Fritz.
A panel will discuss how AI might help consumers, overwhelmed by an explosion of choice and a maze of fragmented platforms, figure out what to watch — and where to watch it, as well as how streamers and platforms differ on where discovery should happen. Panelists include Justin Inman of Emberos, Andreas Hofmann of LG Electronics and Matthew Dominguez of Xperi.
A case study panel, “Adding AI Layers to Modernize Legacy Product Offerings,” will unveil how two companies are innovating their legacy offerings by leveraging AWS’s AI Prototyping Team to help make their customers’ workflows more efficient. Speakers include AWS’s Shane Madigan, Fabric’s Rob Delf and Nomad Media’s Adam Miller.
EnTech Fest 2026 is a one-day event that includes exhibits, conference programming, and the DEG’s annual reception. In addition to AI, focus exhibit categories include emerging technologies, the consumer experience, immersive storytelling, and advanced content delivery. The annual event is for content distribution and marketing executives, platform partners, technology enablers, trend trackers, connected device and display developers, and innovators in digital entertainment.
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DEG Opens Registration to EnTech Fest 2026 With Announcement of Two High-Powered Keynoters
DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group has opened registration to EnTech Fest 2026, its big annual conference and party, with the announcement of two high-profile keynote speakers, Chris McGurk of Cineverse and Amy Reinhard of Netflix.
The trade group’s fifth annual EnTech Fest will be held Feb. 25, 2026, at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. There is no cost to register for DEG members; non-members can save $200 off the $795 cost if they register before Dec. 15 using the code EARLYBIRD26.
As chairman and CEO of Cineverse since 2011, McGurk has been at the forefront of the company’s transformation into a global technology and entertainment company that distributes content across all windows and platforms, from theatrical to digital to physical. Previously, McGurk served for four years as founder and CEO of Overture Films and Anchor Bay Entertainment. From 1999 to 2005, McGurk was vice chairman of the board and COO of MGM, acting as the company’s lead operating executive. McGurk joined MGM from Universal Pictures, where he served in various executive capacities, including president and COO, from 1996 to 1999. Earlier, McGurk served in several senior executive roles at Walt Disney Studios.
Reinhard was named president of advertising in October 2023. She oversees global advertising sales, product development, operations and measurement teams — a critical function as Netflix increasingly relies on its ad-supported subscription tier to drive revenue growth. Previously, Reinhard led Netflix’s studio operations for three years, overseeing physical production, production facilities management and creative services. Reinhard joined Netflix in 2016 as VP of content acquisition, a role in which she led global live-action and animation production, production facilities management, global studio licensing for films and television series as well as local language acquisitions. Before Netflix, she held various strategy, finance, and operational roles at Paramount Pictures over a a 10-year span, ultimately rising to president of worldwide TV licensing and distribution. She started her career at Revolution Studios.
EnTech Fest 2026 is a one-day event that includes exhibits, conference programming, and DEG’s annual reception. Focus exhibit categories include emerging technologies, the consumer experience, immersive storytelling, AI, and advanced content delivery. The annual event is for content distribution and marketing executives, platform partners, technology enablers, trend trackers, connected device and display developers, and innovators in digital entertainment.
DEG Announces Launch of New DEG.AI Alliance
DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group has announced the launch of DEG.AI, a new alliance dedicated to helping guide the media and entertainment industry through its artificial intelligence transformation, with a core mission to amplify human creativity.
The alliance will be chaired by Ian Fried, a media and technology executive who will also continue to serve as DEG’s general counsel.
“Our vision is to build the essential community where creators, technologists, and media leaders can collaborate, research, and educate,” Fried said in a statement. “We want to have a positive impact as our industry navigates this transition, ensuring AI serves to support, not supplant, human ingenuity.”
The new alliance will be open to the DEG’s 80-plus member companies, applying this trusted, collaborative process to AI’s transformation of content creation, distribution, and consumption pipelines. Given the rapid pace of development, coupled with uncertainty around rights and regulation, there is an urgent need for the trusted collaboration and shared learning that DEG.AI will provide, according to the DEG.
DEG.AI will offer multiple layers of member engagement:
- DEG.AI Steering Committee: A high-level steering committee composed of key industry leaders will be formed to guide DEG.AI’s strategic direction, set priorities for research, and oversee the creation of educational programs and working groups.
- Dedicated Working Groups: Focused working groups will convene regularly to address high-priority topics, including AI in production workflows, standards development, localization, accessibility, distribution, and compliance. These committees will provide a trusted forum for members to share challenges, surface concerns, and collaboratively develop industry best practices.
- Authoritative Industry Research: DEG.AI will commission objective studies on critical topics such as AI adoption patterns, economic impacts, and consumer attitudes. This proprietary, data-driven research will provide a foundation of shared facts to help member companies make confident decisions.
- Executive Education and Demystification: A comprehensive educational program will be developed to demystify AI and its applications across the entertainment value chain. By addressing technical fundamentals, business implications, legal considerations, and practical strategies, these initiatives will build confidence among executives and creators, creating a common language for industry-wide collaboration.
- Community and Event Integration: DEG.AI will integrate into DEG’s event portfolio (Membership Meetings, EnTech Fest, EnTech Fest Summer Symposium, Breakfast with the Board series) and recognition programs (EnTech Awards, Hedy Lamarr Awards). These gatherings strengthen relationships beyond formal committee work, building personal connections that enable frank conversation and mutual support. This integration will showcase innovations while celebrating responsible implementation.
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DEG’s Hedy Lamarr Awards 2025
DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group Nov. 10 honored Shobana Radhakrishnan, senior director of engineering for Google TV, with the 2025 Hedy Lamarr Award for Innovation in Entertainment Technology, and Wendy Aylsworth, CEO/CTO of Walden Pond, with the Hedy Lamarr Inspiration Award. In its ninth year, the Hedy Lamarr Award recognizes female executives in the fields of entertainment and technology who have made a significant contribution to the industry.
The 2025 Hedy Lamarr Achievement Award for Emerging Leaders in Entertainment Technology, honoring a female college student whose studies in the fields of entertainment and technology have shown exceptional promise, went to Shantelle Subkhanberdina, an undergraduate at the University of Michigan majoring in Performing Arts Technology with a concentration in audio engineering and computer science
The awards ceremony took place at the Imax campus in Playa Vista, Calif.
All photos by Media Play News staff.
The Wonder Project’s Jon Erwin to Speak at DEG Membership Meeting Nov. 10
DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group has secured Jon Erwin of the Wonder Project to discuss how he used AI in the filming of Amazon MGM’s “House of David.”
Erwin will speak during the DEG’s 2025 Membership Meeting and the Hedy Lamarr Awards presentation and reception, which will take place Nov. 10 at Imax in Playa Vista, Los Angeles. The meeting begins at 6 p.m., with the awards presentation following at 7 p.m. and a networking reception at 7:30 p.m.
The Hedy Lamarr Awards will recognize Google’s Shobana Radhakrishnan, senior director of engineering at Google TV. Wendy Aylsworth, CEO/CTO of Walden Pond, also will be honored with the Hedy Lamarr Inspiration Award. Student Shantelle Subkhanberdina of University of Michigan will also be honored.
Erwin is an acclaimed, multi-GMA Dove Award-winning director, writer, producer and entrepreneur. He serves as chief creative officer for Wonder Project, an independent film and television studio in partnership with Lionsgate specializing in the production of faith-based entertainment.
The Wonder Project was founded by Erwin and former YouTube and Netflix executive Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten. The company’s first major production is “House of David,” a biblical drama about the life of David that premiered on Prime Video in February. The series has since been renewed for a second season.
Earlier this year, the Wonder Project announced a deal to create a branded subscription service as an add-on to Amazon Prime Video that will give subscribers early access to Wonder Project productions as well as hundreds of classic titles.
Projects in production include a theatrical film, Sarah’s Oil, scheduled to debut Nov. 7 via Amazon MGM Studios; The Breadwinner, starring Nate Bargatze; a drama series, “It’s Not Like That,” starring Scott Foley and Erinn Hayes in partnership with Amazon MGM Studios; Young Washington, a feature film produced with Angel Studios about the early life of George Washington; and Flyer, a film about the Wright brothers.[
Erwin is also the first and only director to receive an ‘A+’ CinemaScore four times. His 2023 film Jesus Revolution grossed $52 million worldwide and was a breakout hit for Lionsgate.
Along with his brother Andrew, Erwin co-wrote, produced and co-directed films like Mom’s Night Out, Woodlawn and I Can Only Imagine, which became the top-grossing independent film of 2018, earning more than $83 million at the box office. In 2019, the brothers launched Kingdom Story Co. The first film from that venture was I Still Believe, a biopic about Jeremy Camp that was released by Lionsgate in 2020, followed by American Underdog in 2021, which told the story of NFL MVP and Hall of Famer Kurt Warner.
DEG Announces Winners of Fifth Annual EnTech Awards
DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group Oct. 7 announced the winners of the fifth annual EnTech Awards at the Culver Theater in Culver City, Calif., with a presentation and cocktail reception.
The DEG EnTech Awards honor exceptional technology accomplishments in the digital supply chain achieved by individuals and teams.
Richard Berger, CEO of MovieLabs, was presented with the Hall of Fame Award.
Category winners included CineSearch (accepted by Tony Huidor) with the Emerging Technology Award for its customizable AI chat bot “Ava” that makes recommendations to users; Christopher Reynolds, Deluxe Media Inc., with the Localization Trailblazer Award; the Sunset Boulevard team, Paramount and Park Post Road, with the Technology Innovation in Catalog Restoration and Preservation Award; Sinners and Black American Sign Language, Warner Bros. Discovery, HBO Max, and Roundabout Entertainment, with the Technology Advancement in Multi-Media Accessibility Award; Spherex AI Agents with the Technology Innovation in Content Delivery Award, accepted by Spherex CEO Teresa Phillips; Compliance Engine, Play Anywhere, with the Technology Innovation in Content Distribution Award; and Megan Mauck, NBCUniversal, with the Technology Leadership Award.
Rising Star honorees for 2025 were James Han, Iyuno; Hunter Clancey, NBCUniversal; Bill Pahutski, Paramount Pictures; Sharon Hsieh, The Sherlock Company; and Alison Falk, Warner Bros. Discovery.
The People’s Choice Award went to Vubiquity’s Catalog Intelligence.
To determine the award winners, the DEG enlisted a distinguished judging panel comprised of a cross-section of leaders representing entertainment technology. Among other factors, the judging panel based its decision on the candidates’ contribution to a key goal or priority within the technology and operations function.
See photos here.
DEG Announces Fifth Annual EnTech Awards Finalists
DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group has announced the finalists for the fifth annual EnTech Awards. The award winners will be announced at the Culver Theater in Culver City, Calif., on Oct. 7. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Emerging Technology Award — This award honors a company that created a new, consumer-facing technology that demonstrates potential to positively affect the future of digital entertainment. Finalists are:
- CineSearch, Tony Huidor, Cineverse
- For Mexico, For all Time, UFC at The Sphere Las Vegas, UFC Team, Nexus Studios, Antigravity Academy
- Interactive Vocal Scoring System, Alexandre Benoit, Stingray
Localization Trailblazer Award — This award honors pioneering teams or individuals who have transformed the industry and introduced a game-changing innovation. Finalists are:
- Christopher Reynolds, Deluxe Media Inc.
- Engineering Team, The Sherlock Company
- Jacques Barreau, TransPerfect Media
Technology Innovation in Catalog Restoration and Preservation Award — This award honors individuals or teams who have developed or uniquely use software or create tools to solve problems in the restoration and preservation of film, television, or related materials (e.g., metadata). Finalists are:
- Archive Explorer (AMICS), Iron Mountain
- “Hell’s Angels” Team, NBCUniversal
- “Sunset Blvd” Team, Paramount and Park Post Road
Technology Advancement in Multi-Media Accessibility Award — This award honors an individual or team that has created technological advancements in accessibility, enhancing the user experience of multimedia entertainment through features such as Audio Description, signing, and dialog intelligibility. Finalists are:
- Text-to-Speech Audio Description (TTS AD), Amazon Prime
- 2024 Paris Olympics and Paralympic Accessibility Team, NBCUniversal
- “Sinners” and Black American Sign Language, Warner Bros. Discovery, HBO Max, and Roundabout Entertainment
Technology Innovation in Content Delivery Award — The award honors an individual or a team for identifying a problem within the media and entertainment supply chain and creating a novel solution, such as an engineering lab, infrastructure, or product. Finalists are:
- Spherex AI Agents, Teresa Phillips, Spherex
- Catalog Intelligence, Sonia Hunt, Vubiquity
- “Love Hurts” Cloud-Based Workflow, NBCUniversal, Company3, Pixelogic, AWS
Technology Innovation in Content Distribution Award — The award honors an individual or a team for identifying a consumer-facing problem and creating a novel solution in content distribution. Finalists are:
- Direct 2 Debut (D2D) Platform, Deluxe Media Inc.
- AI Semantic Search and Content Recommendation, Mediagenix
- Compliance Engine, Play Anywhere
Technology Leadership Award — The award honors an individual or team for demonstrating leadership, implementing something technically that had an impact on the business as a whole (extending to the industry beyond their specific company). Recipients will have demonstrated leadership and significantly contributed to a recent project or other engagement within the last two years in the Technology & Operations function within entertainment technology. Finalists are:
- Tony Huidor, Cineverse
- Megan Mauck, NBCUniversal
- Rose Hulse, ScreenHits TV
To determine the award winners, DEG has enlisted a distinguished judging panel comprised of a cross-section of leaders representing entertainment technology. Among other factors, the judging panel will base its decision on the candidates’ contribution to a key goal or priority within the technology and operations function.
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