Do Trends Point to More Home Theater Experiences With Superior Sound?

Photo by Chauhan Moniz on Unsplash

The following post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga.

People were increasingly watching movies and entertainment shows on their home screens rather than going to the movie theater before COVID-19 raised its ugly head. The small matter of a global pandemic forcing everyone to retreat inside their domestic walls exacerbated that trend.

So, to build on such trends, what if you could watch some of your favorite shows from the comfort of your own home via the likes of over-the-top (OTT) providers like Netflix Inc. NFLX and Hulu (jointly owned by The Walt Disney Co. DIS and Comcast Corp. CMCSA with a superior wireless surround-sound system? To really bring the cinema experience even closer to home?

That’s what the San Jose-based consortium Wireless Speaker & Audio Association (WiSA) is hoping for. The company, founded by Summit Wireless Technologies Inc. WISA, says it is dedicated to providing superior wireless sound via intelligent devices and partners with a number of consumer electronics manufacturers to do so by integrating its technology with their products.

Marketing Moves Increasingly Educating Home Consumer

The WiSA Wave Marketing Program, in existence for just over a year, has shown what the consortium calls “significant web traffic growth” during the first 3 quarters of 2021. Data collected from that program showed approximately 1.2 million consumers were exposed to and educated by WiSA in that period compared with just 176,000 in the same period the year before — a 550% increase.

“We are very excited with the continued consumer desire to learn more about WiSA as well as the associated growing awareness of the wireless cinema category and the products that make it a driving force in the future of home entertainment,” WiSA Association President Tony Ostrom said in October.

Amazon Storefront, Multiple Retailer Push

The marketing moves build on the WiSA storefront the company has set up on Amazon.com Inc. AMZN and six other retailers including B&H Photo, Walts TV, Electronic Express, and Beach Camera to sell WiSA products. Current WiSA-Certified products are available from 20+ brands including LG and Hisense smart televisions, wireless speakers from Platin Audio, Enclave Audio, Harman Kardon, and Klipsch.

“Establishing the WiSA Amazon Storefront remains key to the consortium marketing its” products, Ostrom said.

“As the consumer electronics industry continues to expand, it’s important to have a user-friendly store that allows consumers to quickly find and compare products and prices to build systems that best suit their needs,” he said in July when the partnership with Amazon was announced.

WiSA also has partnerships with more than 40 other retailers nationwide to market its technology, using data from its Wave Marketing program to drive category growth.

With such increased marketing efforts and retail partnerships, WiSA is predicting a similar increase in the adoption of its technology to accompany a consumer’s daily intake of Netflix and Hulu dramas among other providers.

The preceding post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga. Although the piece is not and should not be construed as editorial content, the sponsored content team works to ensure that any and all information contained within is true and accurate to the best of their knowledge and research. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice.