Harnessing Digital Technology

This study assesses the present state of the audiovisual sector in Latin America and the Caribbean in the context of increased demand resulting from the growth of streaming and national industries in the region. The document includes an assessment of audiovisual milestones while centering on current public policy debates and 21st-Century skills.

The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the importance of the media and culture sector in uplifting people during difficult times. As hundreds of millions of people were confined to their homes during the pandemic, many turned to music, films, television and other art forms for entertainment, education and cultural enrichment, leading to a surge in streaming and online services.

This report aims to capture the scale of the global disruption caused by the pandemic of COVID-19. It examines the economic impact and consequences of the pandemic on the cultural and creative industries, and explores digital innovations that have emerged in response to this unprecedented crisis.

 This report has been commissioned by the World Intellectual Property Organization, with the objective of presenting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cultural and creative industries, education and research, identifying their initiatives and challenges in facing the pandemic, and consequently, the main trends and trajectories that emerged.

This paper presents the findings of a joint project, conducted by the World Economic Forum and McKinsey & Company, which studied the impact of emerging technologies – artificial intelligence, augmented reality, virtual reality and blockchain – on the creative economy. The project team conducted more than 50 interviews with experts from Asia, Europe and North America, as well as three workshops in China and the United States with World Economic Forum constituents.