Automatic Content Recognition Market: By Solution (Audio, Video and Image Recognition, Voice, Real Time Content Analytics), By Service (Professional, Managed), End User (IT & Telecommunication, Healthcare) – Global Forecast till 2027

The global automatic content recognition market was valued at USD 1064.3 Million in 2017 and is expected to grow exponentially reaching an estimated USD 4507.2 Million by the end of the forecast period of 2017-2023. It is projected that the market will grow at an impressive CAGR of 27.2% over the forecast period.

The automatic content recognition market has been observing continued growth on account of rising adoption of emerging technologies such as digital watermarks, speech recognition, and digital fingerprinting. 

The significant rise in the application of ACR in smart TVs is propelling the growth of the market. ACRs are being progressively integrated with smart TVs as they improve the overall viewing experience of the user by recommending shows and displaying interactive ads that the user might be interested based on the viewing history. Real-time interactive ads are being introduced by industry giants in which real-time viewing data is being gathered to target ads to users for marketing purpose. For this purpose, automatic content recognition software is installed in smart TVs, and growing adoption supports the growth of the market.

Increasing deployment of ACR technologies by the media industry aids the growth of the market. The media industry relies upon ACR to obtain additional information about the type of content users experience and extend their media offerings. Also, ACR is used to measure audience in real-time and present users with second screen content that is synchronized to TV programs. ACR facilitates content verification which aids advertising agencies and other media houses in the creation of smart content by assisting in learning the behavioral patterns of users.

The global automatic content recognition market has been segmented based on technology and end-user application. Among the various sub-segments that have been included under the technology segment, speech recognition sub-segment is expected to account for the largest and fastest growing share. Speech recognition works on an algorithm based on acoustic and language modeling and is able to identify words and phrases spoken in language and convert them to machine-readable format. The popularity of speech recognition can be pinned down to the widespread use of voice-controlled interfaces such as speech recognition in laptops, computers, and smartphones for voice dialing, voice search, call routing and speech-to-text-processing for ease of access to apps, browsers, and search engines. Various businesses and institutions have adopted speech recognition technology as an automated authentication/ identification process which helps the market grow considerably.

The advertising, media & entertainment sub-segment accounts for the most significant share of the global market under the end user application segment and is also expected to be the fastest growing segment over the forecast period. The advertising, media & entertainment segment is growing on account of consumerism, advertising spends, technology, pricing, content, and regulation. The media and entertainment industry is a significant contributor to the US economy.

Regional Analysis

Asia Pacific is poised to emerge as the fastest growing market for automatic content recognition. Countries such as India and China are expected to present multiple opportunities for the growth of the market as these economies have established themselves as an industrial hub and provide ample of scope for market expansion. Technological developments and rapid adoption of technology-enabled smart devices foster the growth of the market in the region. Key players are continuously investing in emerging economies to capitalize on the growth opportunities offered by the regions. Increased investment encourages the growth of the automatic content recognition technology as industrial developments put added emphasis on technological advancements.

Presently, North America is dominating the automatic content recognition market owing to advancements in the technology sector coupled with the high adoption of cloud technology and IoT in the region. US has significantly contributed to North America's leading market position and attained USD 248.1 Million in 2017.

Competitive Tracking

The global automatic content recognition market comprises key players such as Arcsoft, Inc. (US), Microsoft Corporation (US), Audible Magic Corporation (US), Shazam Entertainment Ltd. (UK), Clarifai Inc. (US), Digimarc Corporation (US), ACRCloud (China), Enswers, Inc. (South Korea), and Beatgrid Media BV (The Netherlands). The presence of a multitude of various global, regional and local vendors makes the global automatic content recognition market very competitive. The key players employ several market strategies to compete in the global market which primarily include costing, product quality, reliability, and aftermarket service.

Global Automatic Content Recognition Market: Competitive Landscape

The global automatic content recognition market is characterized by the presence of many global, regional, and local vendors. The market is highly competitive with all the players competing to gain market share. Intense competition, advances in technology, and changes in government policies are key factors that confront market growth. The vendors compete based on cost, quality, reliability, and aftermarket service.

The growth of the market vendors is dependent on the market conditions, government support, and advances in technology. Thus, the vendors should focus on expanding geographically and improving their services. Arcsoft, Inc. (US), Digimarc Corporation (US), Microsoft Corporation (US), ACRCloud (China), Audible Magic Corporation (US), Enswers, Inc. (South Korea), Shazam Entertainment Ltd. (UK), Beatgrid Media BV (The Netherlands), and Clarifai Inc. (US) among others are profiled in the study. These companies primarily focus on the development of automatic content recognition technologies and services. Although the global players are dominating the market, regional and foreign players with small market shares also have a considerable presence. The international players are expected to strengthen their presence worldwide through partnerships, collaboration, and acquisitions during the forecast period.

Arcsoft is one of the prominent players in the automatic content recognition market. Arcsoft is a global leader in computational photography and visual computing technologies. They have successfully built an efficient research and development team in the industry with hundreds of scientists and engineers specialized in all aspects related to the techniques of imaging and computer vision. From embedded software solutions to cloud-based imaging services, the company offers solutions for all. The company also provides imaging intelligence technology for automatic content recognition. The company strongly focusses on partnerships and product development as a part of its business growth strategy. The company’s strategy is significantly dependent upon the timely advancement and is continually engaged in the development of next-generation process technologies.

Digimarc Corporation is another major player in the automatic content recognition market. The company is engaged in the provision of media identification and management solutions and is best known for its digital watermarking technologies. It provides solutions, licenses intellectual property, and offers development services. The company also specializes in invisible barcodes, audio recognition, content identification, data-rich art, and mobile barcode scanner SDK. For its growth strategy, the company encompasses both government and commercial businesses. It plans to continue investing in R&D and sales & marketing to develop and market its products, including Digimarc Discover, Digimarc Barcode, and Guardian, to continue expanding its intellectual property portfolio. In April 2018,   Microsoft and Digimarc partnered to integrate scanning software in the Windows 10 operating system. Digimarc Corporation announced a new 15-year partnership with Microsoft. Also, in June 2018, Digimarc Corporation got a patent issued for content recognition and synchronization using local caching.

ACRCloud and Audible Magic Corporation are other major players in the automatic content recognition market. The major services offered by ACR Cloud are music recognition, content monitoring, live and pre-taped content identification and triggering. The company also offers broadcast monitoring, audio measurement, and copyright compliance solutions. For developers, ACR Cloud supports Android, iOS, Java and Python SDKs. Whereas, Audible Magic Corporation develops digital fingerprinting and automated content recognition (ACR) solutions. The company offers content identification (ID) software and information services for networks, cloud platforms, devices, and applications as well as content ID databases for applications associated with advertising, live television (TV), music, custom, submitted content, and on-device, as well as media synchronization services. In Dec 2017, ACRCloud and VidVita, a US media and entertainment technology company, joined forces in order to deliver live channel detection / live playback detection ACR services to the North American market. In Jan 2018, Xperi, a global leader in innovative technology solutions partnered with ACRCloud to bring music recognition to the hybrid radio.