The battle for attention in 2021 took place on mobile devices, with short-form vertical video dominating engagement metrics.

In 2021, streaming moved from being a luxury alternative to the undisputed center of the entertainment universe. This was the year of the , most notably seen with Warner Bros. releasing its entire film slate on HBO Max and theaters simultaneously. While controversial, this move signaled that platforms were now prioritizing subscriber growth over box office receipts.

TikTok emerged as the favorite platform among content creators, with 30% naming it their top choice, followed by Instagram (22%) and YouTube (22%). These platforms also generated the most income: 24% of creators earned most on TikTok, 22% on Instagram, and 20% on YouTube. TikTok's engagement rate of 38% was the highest among all social media platforms.

After a devastating 2020, audiences tentatively returned to theaters. The global theatrical market reached $21.3 billion in 2021, nearly doubling the pandemic-era low of 2020, though still about half of the $42.3 billion box office of 2019.

2021 saw the rise of more interactive and decentralized forms of entertainment.

Music streaming profits helped the industry recover from the piracy crisis of the 2000s, with UK record labels earning £736.5 million in 2021. However, ongoing controversies over distribution highlighted that many musicians and songwriters continued to receive a fraction of the streaming revenue.

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: China emerged as a dominant theatrical market with The Battle at Lake Changjin and Hi, Mom ranking among the year's highest-grossing films worldwide.

Streaming services hit a historic milestone in 2021, with global subscriptions growing 14% to reach . 2021 THEME Report - Motion Picture Association

: Secured a massive international box office performance, serving as a critical anchor for European cinema recovery.

Behind the scenes, 2021 accelerated the adoption of new technologies for content production, designed for efficiency in a remote-friendly world.