Month: February 2024

Loading the Elevenlabs Text to Speech AudioNative Player... While remembering past developments can be sometimes avoided by the new generation, keeping a weather-eye on past activities can be seen as useful in avoiding making the same mistakes. So it is with interest that we chart the growth, once again, of location-based entertainment and observe its previous attempt at market dominance, along with how this latest move is re-attracting IP and big brands. Return of Location-Based Entertainment Following on from our coverage of the growth in IP and branding within the Out-of-Home Entertainment sphere, we turn to the reprise of a once popular vehicle towards marrying brand and IP and physical entertainment venues. Back in 1996 the term “Location-Based Entertainment” (LBE) gained major recognition. Following on from the boom in Japan in Indoor Amusement venues (Amusement Theme Park); the concept of […]

Loading the Elevenlabs Text to Speech AudioNative Player... The first month of 2024 passed and developments abound in the reshaping and restructuring of the entertainment offering in the market. This is supported by a spate of Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) and the continued restructuring of business strategies towards the changed landscape of the market – in both commercial entertainment and consumer gaming. Acquisitions and Mergers Continue In the LBE operation scene, the latest acquisition was revealed with news that Ten Entertainment, operator of some 52 venues in the UK, comprising lasertag, bowling, escape rooms and amusement sites, was the target of a £287m takeover by US-based Trive Capital, an investment house with an interest in this sector. This represents one of the largest UK acquisitions for the year, and a continuing trend in the acquisition of obvious opportunities, as the market prepares for […]

Loading the Elevenlabs Text to Speech AudioNative Player... Following on from the largest consumer electronics event which started the year and, a few weeks after, London would play host to the first of the major amusement entertainment trade events, charting the trends and expectations from the trade for 2024. London's Big Coin-Op Blowout The European Amusement & Gaming Expo (EAG’24) has become a landmark gathering for the UK trade and a smattering of European attendees from the amusement and gaming scene. Organized by bacta, the UK trade association, the event has charted the changing conditions of the UK amusement scene from its ATEI predecessor to the current show format. These year’s show, however, offered a positive snapshot of the state of the industry, and the opportunities that lie ahead for the sector. London’s premier amusement trade gathering acted as the starting pistol to […]

As we start 2024, the entertainment and technology landscape is front and center with developments from the largest of the consumer electronic events, along with developments in the scene targeting this major media event. The Stinger Report is one of the few from the sector with a presence at the event, to collect the trending developments related to our industry. Consumer Electronic's New Year Blowout The year starts with a gaggle of entertainment and technology events, one of the pivotal being the Consumer Electronic Show (CES). Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the event saw some 3,500 exhibitors filling the Las Vegas west hall and numerous hotel suites, attracting an expected 130,000 attendees. The event offers consumer electronics, automotive and new technology trends, and has become a barometer of the year ahead. The drive to establish a believable business model for […]