After another successful venture to Las Vegas, Jacobs Media President Fred Jacobs sat down to examine CES 2024. Jacobs returned to lead his annual tour for broadcasters and shared his experience, including where attendees found – and couldn’t find – radio.
To start, CES is back in a big way. Attendance jumped 20,000 from 2023 to 135,000, getting closer to the last pre-COVID CES number of 175,000. 4,300 exhibitors set up shop on the Las Vegas Convention Center grounds, with a record number of start-ups at the show.
CES 2024’s defining trend was artificial intelligence, with so much hype that AI became a buzzword attached to every product, to varying degrees of success. AI included everything from Deep Learning products, to GPT-driven tech, to what used to be called “smart” devices, to some AI-less products seeking seed money.
Former CES leading trends took a backseat to AI this year, including the Metaverse and autonomous cars. Though in auto, electric vehicles are trending back up, which may or may not be good for radio – depending on the next few months in Congress. Jacobs also discussed the “screenification” of vehicles as the passenger economy heats up.
Media is moving outside the dashboard and to screens for the passenger and back seats, which is being capitalized on for radio by companies like Xperi. This fits into an overarching hot trend of personalization and customization. While radio could be found in-vehicle (especially with HD Radio’s Harley Davidson debut), CES attendees would be hard-pressed to find it anywhere else in the Las Vegas Convention Center besides Sangean and Crosley.
However, in the era of AI, Jacobs stressed how, “Every company is a tech company.” Few companies showed this off like first-time CES presenter Walmart.
The mega box retailer set up a 7,000 square foot outdoor house featuring the introduction of a Generative AI-powered search experience on its iOS app. This advanced search feature allows customers to conduct searches based on specific scenarios, such as organizing a football watch party, delivering cross-category results that streamline the shopping process.
Walmart also gave a sneak peek into its upcoming InHome Replenishment service. Utilizing AI to automatically update customers’ online shopping carts with essential items and schedule deliveries directly into homes. Additionally, they revealed a social commerce platform, Shop with Friends. Using augmented reality, customers can share virtual outfits with friends and receive feedback.
The company’s final pitch: “90% of America shops at Walmart. The customers you want at the scale you need.” If AM/FM can boast similar listenership numbers, Jacobs closed the recap by asking why doesn’t radio have just as big of a presence at CES?
In the spirit of the presentation, Jacobs Media has launched a newsletter dedicated to exploring the role of Artificial Intelligence in broadcasting, The AI Edge. Jacobs Media’s new Director of Digital Revenue and AI Chris Brunt will curate the weekly newsletter.
Brunt commented, “I’ve been studying and working with many broadcast pros for the past year, exploring the different ways we can make the best use of AI. I’m excited for ‘The AI Edge’ to be a conduit for radio and TV organizations with this cutting-edge technology.”
