Internet Content

The U.S. digital publishing and broadcasting industry will have steady growth in revenue through 2030, due to an increase in the number of Internet connections, an increase in the time that people spend on the Internet, and migration of advertising dollars over to the Internet.

Employment in the Internet content industry will continue to grow in the next decade. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) predicts that Internet publishing and broadcasting will grow at a compound annual rate of 2.5 percent between 2018 and 2028, creating in 85,700 new jobs as these services replace traditional media like newspapers and TV newscasts.

Companies are finding that over-the-top (OTT) services are becoming the vehicle of choice for media consumers. OTT services deliver content via the internet and have no need for cable or satellite subscriptions. In November 2019, Disney+ and Apple TV+ were two new OTT services that appeared on the market. Statista.com reports that OTT video revenue is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 7.68 percent from 2024–2029), leading to a projected market volume of $193.60 billion by 2029.

The growing popularity of mobile devices will create strong demand for Internet content. In late-2024, the Pew Research Center reported that 98 percent of Americans owned a cell phone and 91 percent owned a smartphone (up from 35 percent in 2011). As more people access the Internet, demand for content will increase. Additionally, demand for mobile apps continues to be very strong. According to Statista.com, in 2023, 257 billion mobile apps were downloaded worldwide, up from about 141 billion in 2016.

Digital music continues to grow in popularity. More people are streaming music instead of downloading it. There were 713 million music streaming subscribers worldwide in the third quarter of 2023, according to Statista.com. This was a significant increase from 616 million at the end of the second quarter of 2022. Paid subscriptions for music streaming services generated more than $11 billion in revenue, according to the 2023 Year-End Music Industry Revenue Report from the Recording Industry Association of America.

The global podcasting market was valued at $18.52 billion in 2022, according to Grand View Research. It is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 27.6 percent from 2023 to 2030 and reach a value of $130.63 billion. “The flexibility of listening to podcasts while doing other activities simultaneously is driving the market growth,” according to Grand View Research. “Moreover, podcasting is widely used in teaching and educational learning as it offers an effortless delivery of audio learning resources.” Rapidly growing market segments include health, wellness, fitness, news and politics, and sports.

Online gaming will also enjoy good growth for the following reasons: the number of broadband users is rising, microtransaction technology (enabling financial transactions online involving small amounts of money) is making it easier for users to play casual games and social-network games, and smartphones and tablets are quickly becoming the most popular method of play for casual game players because of their portability and intuitive-touch interface features.

The employment outlook in the Internet content industry varies by job title. Employment for business owners and managers at fast-growing Internet content providers should be strong in coming years. Job opportunities for technical workers such as software engineers, software designers, Internet security specialists, and e-commerce specialists will grow steadily as emerging technology creates demand for technical experts. Top-tier content producers, such as popular bloggers, musicians, game designers, influencers, and columnists, will be in demand because of their name recognition, which drives both traffic and subscription and advertising revenue. There will be many opportunities for entry-level writers, editors, photographers, and videographers, but the low pay offered by many content providers—especially content farms—and the lack of job security will create considerable turnover as many leave the industry for more lucrative and stable jobs in other fields.

The average salary for those who were employed by Web search portals, libraries, archives, and other information services was $70,350 in October 2024, according to the DOL. This is higher than the national average ($63,098) for all private sector workers. It’s important to note that freelancers (writers, editors, photographers, and videographers)—especially those who are employed by content farms—typically earn much lower salaries than staff employees.

Workers who will be most successful in the Internet content industry will have industry experience, advanced education, and strong technical knowledge (especially in advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence), and creative skills. They should also be willing to continue to learn throughout their careers.