Once relegated to the children’s market, virtual characters are entering the mainstream in China. Fictional as these digitally rendered avatars may be, they hold real jobs, from pop star to influencer, to even news anchor. And they’re becoming increasingly interactive and humanlike, thanks to improvements in technologies such as AI, motion capture, and virtual reality (VR). Recent advancements in augmented reality (AR), in particular, have enabled virtual avatars to step out of social media and make live appearances alongside flesh-and-blood celebrities.

On today's episode, we discuss Facebook and Apple's next virtual and augmented reality moves, Netflix cracking down on password sharing, whether Google and Facebook killed the concept of "free," what Americans will do with their stimulus checks, how ESPN+ will do on Hulu, where in the world there is a giant plughole in the ocean, and more. Tune in to listen to the discussion with eMarketer forecasting analyst Rini Mukhopadhyay, senior analyst Sara M. Watson, analyst Blake Droesch, and principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Jeremy Goldman.

Although the benefits of 5G for financial services firms are less flashy than in other industries, lower latency, faster speed, and improved reliability will play a big role in the financial services sector.

5G will become one of the most promising technologies for facilitating healthcare’s digital transformation. This report analyzes five patient applications of 5G. It also explores forward-looking organizations embracing 5G and how healthcare organizations can follow in their footsteps.

5G technology is poised to transform how media, entertainment, and marketing are produced, distributed, and consumed. This report discusses five ways that next-generation wireless networks could propel industry growth.

5G networking services are starting to gain traction with consumers—and the retail industry. This report explores the role of 5G in the retail industry and discusses five applications of 5G wireless networks that can enhance or transform retail.

In addition to building next-generation smart network infrastructure, 5G startups are piloting use cases across industries that take advantage of the performance advancements of 5G connections.

eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Victoria Petrock discusses how to be an inclusive marketer. She then talks about new guidelines for drone delivery, retailers turning to augmented reality (AR) to help online shoppers try products on, and the ceiling for virtual reality (VR) adoption.

After a tumultuous year, the social platforms will close 2020 on a high note in terms of ad revenues and users—and with features that closely resemble each other.

The iPhone 12 Pro became the first phone to have a back-facing Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) camera, which enables more sophisticated augmented reality (AR). (Top-end Android phones use a similar Time-of-Flight, or ToF sensor.) Lidar can near-instantaneously detect depth and size, allowing for rapid and very detailed mixed reality functions for apps, such as furniture placement or full-body Snapchat Lenses. This should supercharge mobile AR spending and make such ads more feasible.

This report describes how the pandemic, operating systems, and a new US president will affect mobile advertising.

China’s Singles’ Day is no longer just a discount shopping event, as participating digital giants are now leveraging livestreams, new product launches, and novel technologies to enhance customer engagement and the buying experience.

Augmented reality (AR) has become more common on social networks. This year, there will be 43.7 million US social network AR users, according to our March 2020 forecast.

Digital media is relatively flexible, which has benefited it during the pandemic. Ivan Markman, chief business officer at Verizon Media, joins eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Nicole Perrin to discuss how digital platforms can be even better at supporting this flexibility, as well as the explosion of connected TV advertising and the future of virtual and augmented reality.

eMarketer principal analysts at Insider Intelligence Mark Dolliver and Debra Aho Williamson discuss whether TikTok has a future and what that might look like. They then talk about Instagram's new music-based augmented reality feature, how much the influencer market might take a hit and a new revenue-sharing agreement with Instagram creators.

Snap Inc. reported strong gains in both users and revenues in its Q1 2020 earnings on Tuesday, despite growing concerns about the impact of the coronavirus on worldwide ad budgets. Here are three takeaways for advertisers.

This report examines key takeaways from our most recent forecasts for US virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) users.