CES 2020 preview: Even more streaming services and subscriptions on the horizon
Services will be everywhere at CES this year.
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Services ranging from TV streaming to clothing boxes to meal kits to toothbrushes have become part of our daily lives, and these subscriptions are expected to take center stage this year among the tech companies showcasing their innovations at CES 2020 in Las Vegas this week. We've seen a rise in interest in services among all of the major tech players in the past year (hello, Apple TV Plus, Disney Plus, Google Stadia and Apple Arcade) and more are likely to follow suit, particularly in the health and wellness and family and kids spaces.
These are the services trends and themes we expect to see at CES 2020.
Streaming services
Consumer spending on software and services -- including music, video and gaming services -- was projected to hit nearly $76 billion in 2019, 14% growth over the year before, according to the CTA. TV streaming services spending alone grew by 25%, it found.
CES and the various companies attending and presenting there are well aware of this trend. Linda Yaccarino, NBCUniversal's chairman of advertising and partnerships, will be a keynote speaker at the show, and we expect that she will discuss its upcoming Peacock streaming service, set to launch in April 2020. Quibi executives will present another keynote likely discussing the short-form mobile video platform, also expected in April. Executives from WarnerMedia will also speak at a CES event, discussing HBO Max, which is planned to roll out in May.
All of these new platforms will enter an increasingly crowded field, and go to bat against Apple TV Plus, Disney Plus, Netflix , Hulu and a bevy of others.
Health and wellness subscriptions
Services have also infiltrated the health and wellness space, including fitness clothing subscription boxes, and smart gym equipment with workout subscription classes. At CES 2020, we'll see hundreds of digital health companies exhibiting current and potential future products and services.
"Live streaming and classes on demand are creating tailor-made workouts that make getting fit easier and more entertaining," according to the CES FitnessTech website. "Plus, the new workout systems are creating an entire ecosystem of new services all with one goal in mind -- to help the consumer 'be your best self'."
A panel discussion called the Peloton Factor -- referring to the company behind the $2,245 exercise bike with a $39 monthly subscription fee to access exercise classes, and, yes, that disastrous commercial -- will discuss how the fitness industry is partnering with music, video and live streaming device companies along with wearable tech producers to take advantage of new fitness trends.
Outside of services, you can also expect to see a good amount of sex tech and sleep tech at CES 2020. We'll also see innovations in areas like blood sugar monitoring -- company AerBetic is a CES 2020 Innovation Award honoree for its noninvasive, wearable diabetes alert device that pairs with an app.
The Peloton exercise bike.
Smart technology for family and kids
Services for families and kids are another trending area for CES 2020, where we'll see a lot of gadgets , some of which will be connected to apps and services. In the education space, hundreds of digital education apps and services will be on display on the show floor, including several that claim to use brain waves to improve learning.
New parents can expect to see smart products and services for helping with infants on the Baby Tech show floor. This is an area with a lot of new interest: Last year's competition for the annual Best of Baby Tech Awards at the show drew an 88% increase in entries from the year before.
One company to watch is Owlet -- maker of the popular Smart Sock to monitor newborns. It's an Innovation Award honoree for its new personalized video sleep training program, Owlet Dream Lab. A few smart bassinets will also be on display, including the Innovation Award honoree mamaRoo sleep bassinet, which moves to mimic motions that are calming to babies, like a car ride, a tree swing and rock-a-bye, along with built-in noises that parents can control via an app.
The mamaRoo sleep bassinet.
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