From global box offices buzzing with billion-dollar franchises to streaming wars fought in living rooms worldwide, 2023's entertainment industry was a sprawling saga of recovery, revenue, and record-breaking viewership.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, the global box office revenue reached $33.9 billion, marking a 47% increase from 2022 but still 20% below pre-pandemic levels of 2019.
- Hollywood films accounted for 70% of global box office earnings in 2023, generating over $23 billion internationally.
- The top-grossing film of 2023, Barbie, earned $1.445 billion worldwide.
- In 2023, global SVOD subscribers reached 1.45 billion, up 8.7% from 2022.
- Netflix had 260.28 million paid subscribers globally as of Q4 2023.
- Global streaming video market revenue hit $129.9 billion in 2023.
- In 2023, global recorded music revenues reached $28.6 billion, up 10.2% YoY.
- Streaming accounted for 67% of global music revenue at $19.3 billion in 2023.
- Spotify had 602 million monthly active users and 236 million premium subscribers in 2023.
- Global gaming market revenue reached $184.4 billion in 2023.
- Mobile gaming generated $103 billion, 56% of total gaming revenue in 2023.
- PC gaming revenue was $45 billion globally in 2023.
- Global live events industry generated $1.3 trillion in economic impact in 2023.
- Concert ticket sales worldwide reached $35 billion in 2023.
- Taylor Swift's Eras Tour grossed $1.04 billion in 2023.
The global entertainment industry grew strongly in 2023 but remained below its pre-pandemic peak.
Film
- In 2023, the global box office revenue reached $33.9 billion, marking a 47% increase from 2022 but still 20% below pre-pandemic levels of 2019.
- Hollywood films accounted for 70% of global box office earnings in 2023, generating over $23 billion internationally.
- The top-grossing film of 2023, Barbie, earned $1.445 billion worldwide.
- China was the second-largest box office market in 2023 with $7.7 billion in ticket sales.
- Average global cinema ticket price in 2023 was $8.91.
- Number of cinema screens worldwide exceeded 230,000 in 2023.
- India produced 1,700 films in 2023, contributing $2.5 billion to global box office.
- 3D films generated $4.2 billion globally in 2023, representing 12% of total box office.
- Female-led films earned $4.8 billion at the global box office in 2023.
- Streaming services impacted theatrical releases, with 25% of major films going direct-to-stream in 2023.
- Global film production budgets averaged $100 million for top blockbusters in 2023.
- Europe’s box office recovered to €8.5 billion in 2023.
- South Korea’s box office hit $1.1 billion in 2023, led by Parasite sequels hype.
- IMAX screens contributed $1 billion to global box office in 2023.
- Animated films grossed $10.2 billion worldwide in 2023.
- Global VOD revenue from film rentals reached $25 billion in 2023.
- Nollywood (Nigeria) produced 2,500 films in 2023, with digital distribution boosting reach.
- Japan’s anime films earned ¥250 billion domestically in 2023.
- Global film piracy losses estimated at $29.2 billion annually.
- Superhero genre films grossed $7.5 billion in 2023.
- Global film exports from US reached $17 billion in 2023.
- Latin America box office totaled $2.8 billion in 2023.
- Horror films saw 15% YoY growth, earning $2.1 billion globally in 2023.
- Premium Large Format screens grew 12% to 15,000 worldwide in 2023.
- Global cinema attendance post-COVID averaged 5.2 billion tickets in 2023.
- Bollywood overseas earnings hit $150 million in 2023.
- France box office reached €1.3 billion in 2023.
- Global film marketing spend was $15 billion in 2023.
- Documentaries grossed $1.2 billion worldwide in 2023.
- UK film industry contributed £5.5 billion to economy in 2023.
Film Interpretation
Despite a heroic post-pandemic rebound where cinema's pulse quickened to the tune of $33.9 billion and pink plastic ruled the world, the industry remains a dazzling, fragmented, and fiercely contested battleground where streaming, piracy, and regional powerhouses like China and India are writing the next scene in a blockbuster still trying to fully reclaim its 2019 glory.
Gaming
- Global gaming market revenue reached $184.4 billion in 2023.
- Mobile gaming generated $103 billion, 56% of total gaming revenue in 2023.
- PC gaming revenue was $45 billion globally in 2023.
- Console gaming hit $52 billion worldwide in 2023.
- Esports audience reached 532 million globally in 2023.
- Global in-game purchases revenue was $92 billion in 2023.
- China gaming market size was $45 billion in 2023.
- PlayStation 5 sold 37.8 million units worldwide in 2023.
- Fortnite generated $5.8 billion in revenue in 2023.
- Roblox had 70 million daily active users in 2023.
- Global cloud gaming subscribers hit 150 million in 2023.
- Nintendo Switch sales reached 17 million units in 2023.
- Candy Crush Saga earned $1 billion on mobile in 2023.
- Esports prize pools totaled $200 million in 2023.
- Steam platform had 132 million monthly active users in 2023.
- PUBG Mobile revenue was $1.4 billion in 2023.
- Global VR gaming revenue reached $12 billion in 2023.
- Xbox Game Pass subscribers exceeded 34 million in 2023.
- Genshin Impact earned $4 billion lifetime by end of 2023.
- Gaming ad revenue grew to $11 billion globally in 2023.
- US gaming market was $47.5 billion in 2023.
- League of Legends Worlds 2023 viewership peaked at 6.9 million.
- Global metaverse gaming investment was $8 billion in 2023.
- Honor of Kings (Arena of Valor) revenue $2.2 billion in 2023.
- PlayStation Network monthly active users 118 million in 2023.
- Global female gamers reached 46% of total players in 2023.
- Minecraft 1.20 billion downloads cumulative by 2023.
Gaming Interpretation
The gaming industry is no longer a sideshow but the main tent, having evolved from couch co-op to a colossal economic ecosystem where the revenue from in-game purchases alone could probably fund a small country's space program, and where your phone is now more likely to be a portal to Fortnite than an actual telephone.
Live Events
- Global live events industry generated $1.3 trillion in economic impact in 2023.
- Concert ticket sales worldwide reached $35 billion in 2023.
- Taylor Swift's Eras Tour grossed $1.04 billion in 2023.
- Global festival attendance was 500 million in 2023.
- Broadway grossed $1.5 billion in ticket sales in 2023.
- Las Vegas residencies generated $800 million in 2023.
- Coachella festival drew 250,000 attendees over two weekends in 2023.
- Global sports events ticket revenue was $50 billion in 2023.
- Edinburgh Festival Fringe hosted 3,000+ shows in 2023.
- UFC events generated $1.3 billion in live gate and PPV in 2023.
- Global theater attendance recovered to 80% pre-pandemic levels with 300 million tickets in 2023.
- Glastonbury Festival sold 210,000 tickets in 20 minutes in 2023.
- Average concert ticket price worldwide was $94 in 2023.
- West End theaters in London grossed £1.2 billion in 2023.
- Tomorrowland festival economic impact $600 million in 2023.
- Global comedy tour revenue hit $500 million in 2023.
- Formula 1 races attracted 5.7 million live spectators in 2023.
- Cirque du Soleil performed 4,000 shows to 6 million attendees in 2023.
- Global esports arena events drew 10 million attendees in 2023.
- Lollapalooza Chicago had 400,000 attendees in 2023.
Live Events Interpretation
While a staggering $1.3 trillion economic impact confirms our primal need to gather, the true story is in the details, from a single sold-out stadium tour grossing over a billion dollars to the frantic 20-minute scramble for a muddy field in Somerset, proving that whether it's high art or high-octane spectacle, the world will gladly pay the $94 average ticket price to feel alive together.
Music
- In 2023, global recorded music revenues reached $28.6 billion, up 10.2% YoY.
- Streaming accounted for 67% of global music revenue at $19.3 billion in 2023.
- Spotify had 602 million monthly active users and 236 million premium subscribers in 2023.
- Physical sales grew 6.9% to $4.2 billion globally in 2023.
- Latin America music market grew 24.4% to $1.5 billion in 2023.
- Vinyl sales reached 43 million units worldwide in 2023.
- Global sync licensing revenue hit $450 million in 2023.
- Apple Music surpassed 100 million subscribers in 2023.
- Performing rights royalties distributed $4 billion globally in 2023.
- Sub-Saharan Africa music revenues grew 22.8% to $500 million in 2023.
- YouTube Music & Premium had 100 million subscribers in 2023.
- Global live music revenue reached $31 billion in 2023.
- K-pop exports generated $1 billion for South Korea in 2023.
- Music publishing revenues were $6.2 billion globally in 2023.
- Average Spotify payout per stream was $0.0039 in 2023.
- China music market revenue soared 16% to $1.2 billion in 2023.
- Female artists held 42% of top 100 Spotify streams in 2023.
- Global music touring revenue post-COVID hit $28.6 billion in 2023.
- Amazon Music subscribers reached 70 million in 2023.
- Indie labels captured 45.9% of global market share in 2023.
- TikTok drove 1 trillion music streams in 2023.
- Global music NFT sales peaked at $25 million in 2023.
- Japan music market was $2.9 billion, led by physical sales in 2023.
- Podcast ad revenue integrated with music hit $2 billion globally in 2023.
- MERCH sales for artists generated $3.5 billion in 2023.
- Global recorded music consumption hours reached 5 trillion in 2023.
- MENA music market grew 32% to $600 million in 2023.
Music Interpretation
The music industry’s revenue model has become a wonderfully schizophrenic beast, simultaneously thriving on a tidal wave of digital streaming dollars, a stubbornly nostalgic vinyl revival, and the live performance boom—all while reminding artists that 602 million Spotify listeners still only pay out about four-tenths of a penny per stream.
TV/Streaming
- In 2023, global SVOD subscribers reached 1.45 billion, up 8.7% from 2022.
- Netflix had 260.28 million paid subscribers globally as of Q4 2023.
- Global streaming video market revenue hit $129.9 billion in 2023.
- Disney+ grew to 150 million subscribers worldwide in 2023.
- Average hours watched on streaming platforms per user was 14.5 hours weekly in 2023.
- FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) channels reached 1,200 globally in 2023.
- Global TV advertising spend was $196 billion in 2023, with 40% digital.
- Amazon Prime Video had 200 million subscribers in 2023.
- HBO Max (Max) reached 97 million global subscribers in 2023.
- Global pay TV subscribers declined to 800 million in 2023.
- Original content spend by streamers was $68 billion in 2023.
- Churn rate for SVOD services averaged 8% monthly in 2023.
- Global AVOD revenue grew to $22 billion in 2023.
- YouTube had 2.7 billion monthly active users watching TV content in 2023.
- TikTok video views reached 1 trillion daily in 2023.
- Global linear TV viewership share dropped to 45% in 2023.
- Paramount+ expanded to 60 million subscribers in 2023.
- Streaming sports rights deals totaled $50 billion globally in 2023.
- Average SVOD price per month rose to $12.50 worldwide in 2023.
- Bundle subscriptions grew 25% to 150 million users in 2023.
- Global CTV ad spend reached $30 billion in 2023.
- Peacock (NBCUniversal) hit 34 million subscribers in 2023.
- Asian streaming market revenue was $35 billion in 2023.
- Global password sharing crackdowns reduced SVOD revenue loss by $2 billion in 2023.
- Live streaming events on platforms like Twitch averaged 30 billion hours watched in 2023.
- European SVOD penetration reached 50% of households in 2023.
- Global TV content production costs hit $250 billion in 2023.
TV/Streaming Interpretation
The streaming wars have made us all subscription-hoarding, ad-tolerant content gourmands who collectively binged our way to a $130 billion industry, yet we still can't quite quit the thrill of flipping channels—digitally, of course.
Sources & References
- Reference 1STATISTAstatista.comVisit source
- Reference 2MPAAmpaa.orgVisit source
- Reference 3BOXOFFICEMOJOboxofficemojo.comVisit source
- Reference 4VARIETYvariety.comVisit source
- Reference 5SCREENINTERNATIONALscreeninternational.comVisit source
- Reference 6FILMFEDfilmfed.orgVisit source
- Reference 7WOMENINFILMwomeninfilm.orgVisit source
- Reference 8HOLLYWOODREPORTERhollywoodreporter.comVisit source
- Reference 9THE-NUMBERSthe-numbers.comVisit source
- Reference 10UNIC-EUROPEunic-europe.orgVisit source
- Reference 11KOFICkofic.or.krVisit source
- Reference 12IMAXimax.comVisit source
- Reference 13ANIMATIONMAGAZINEanimationmagazine.netVisit source
- Reference 14PWCpwc.comVisit source
- Reference 15NOLLYWOODREPORTSnollywoodreports.comVisit source
- Reference 16MOTIONPICTURESmotionpictures.jpVisit source
- Reference 17ITAita.doc.govVisit source
- Reference 18COMSCOREcomscore.comVisit source
- Reference 19NATOONLINEnatoonline.orgVisit source
- Reference 20ICA-ROAGica-roag.orgVisit source
- Reference 21BOXOFFICEINDIAboxofficeindia.comVisit source
- Reference 22CNCcnc.frVisit source
- Reference 23MARKETINGCHARTSmarketingcharts.comVisit source
- Reference 24IDFAidfa.nlVisit source
- Reference 25BFIbfi.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 26IRir.netflix.netVisit source
- Reference 27THEWALTDISNEYCOMPANYthewaltdisneycompany.comVisit source
- Reference 28NIELSENnielsen.comVisit source
- Reference 29AMAGIamagi.comVisit source
- Reference 30ABOUTAMAZONaboutamazon.comVisit source
- Reference 31WBDwbd.comVisit source
- Reference 32OVUMovum.comVisit source
- Reference 33PARROTANALYTICSparrotanalytics.comVisit source
- Reference 34ANTOPRESEARCHantopresearch.comVisit source
- Reference 35EMARKETERemarketer.comVisit source
- Reference 36BLOGblog.youtubeVisit source
- Reference 37TIKTOKtiktok.comVisit source
- Reference 38PARAMOUNTparamount.comVisit source
- Reference 39SPORTBUSINESSsportbusiness.comVisit source
- Reference 40DELOITTEdeloitte.comVisit source
- Reference 41NBCUNIVERSALnbcuniversal.comVisit source
- Reference 42OLIVIER-DIGITALolivier-digital.comVisit source
- Reference 43MAGNAmagna.comVisit source
- Reference 44STREAMLABSstreamlabs.comVisit source
- Reference 45EAOCeaoc.euVisit source
- Reference 46KAGANkagan.comVisit source
- Reference 47IFPIifpi.orgVisit source
- Reference 48NEWSROOMnewsroom.spotify.comVisit source
- Reference 49RIAAriaa.comVisit source
- Reference 50MUSICBUSINESSWORLDWIDEmusicbusinessworldwide.comVisit source
- Reference 51APPLEapple.comVisit source
- Reference 52CISACcisac.orgVisit source
- Reference 53KOFICEkofice.or.krVisit source
- Reference 54WIPOwipo.intVisit source
- Reference 55CHARTMASTERSchartmasters.orgVisit source
- Reference 56SPOTIFYspotify.comVisit source
- Reference 57POLLSTARpollstar.comVisit source
- Reference 58AIMaim.co.ukVisit source
- Reference 59NONFUNGIBLEnonfungible.comVisit source
- Reference 60RIAJriaj.or.jpVisit source
- Reference 61IABiab.comVisit source
- Reference 62LUMINATIORECORDSluminatiorecords.comVisit source
- Reference 63NEWZOOnewzoo.comVisit source
- Reference 64SUPERDATARESEARCHsuperdataresearch.comVisit source
- Reference 65CGIGCcgigc.com.cnVisit source
- Reference 66VGCHARTZvgchartz.comVisit source
- Reference 67BUSINESSOFAPPSbusinessofapps.comVisit source
- Reference 68CORPcorp.roblox.comVisit source
- Reference 69NINTENDOnintendo.co.jpVisit source
- Reference 70SENSORTOWERsensortower.comVisit source
- Reference 71ESPORTSEARNINGSesportsearnings.comVisit source
- Reference 72STOREstore.steampowered.comVisit source
- Reference 73POCKETGAMERpocketgamer.bizVisit source
- Reference 74NEWSnews.xbox.comVisit source
- Reference 75APPSFLYERappsflyer.comVisit source
- Reference 76ESAesa.intVisit source
- Reference 77ESPORTSCHARTSesportscharts.comVisit source
- Reference 78MCKINSEYmckinsey.comVisit source
- Reference 79GAMEREFINERYgamerefinery.comVisit source
- Reference 80SONYINTERACTIVEsonyinteractive.comVisit source
- Reference 81MINECRAFTminecraft.netVisit source
- Reference 82AECOMaecom.comVisit source
- Reference 83BILLBOARDbillboard.comVisit source
- Reference 84INTELLIGENTLEISUREintelligentleisure.comVisit source
- Reference 85BROADWAYLEAGUEbroadwayleague.comVisit source
- Reference 86LASVEGASCONVENTIONlasvegasconvention.comVisit source
- Reference 87COACHELLAcoachella.comVisit source
- Reference 88PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERSpricewaterhousecoopers.comVisit source
- Reference 89EDFRINGEedfringe.comVisit source
- Reference 90UFCufc.comVisit source
- Reference 91UISuis.unesco.orgVisit source
- Reference 92GLASTONBURYFESTIVALSglastonburyfestivals.co.ukVisit source
- Reference 93SOLTsolt.org.ukVisit source
- Reference 94TOMORROWLANDtomorrowland.comVisit source
- Reference 95FORMULA1formula1.comVisit source
- Reference 96CIRQUEDUSOLEILcirquedusoleil.comVisit source
- Reference 97LOLLAPALOOZAlollapalooza.comVisit source
