The opening day of the Consumer Electronics Show is the first day attendees get a look at the floor geography the Las Vegas Convention Center. It’s massive with exhibits covering over two million square feet spread across 12 official venues.
However, Fred Jacobs, president and founder of Jacobs Media, and his brother, Paul, got a bit of sneak peak of the show on Monday. The pair begin their floor tours at CES today. The radio broadcasters in his walking groups are mostly first-timers at CES and he expects the talk will center around new technology, especially AI.
“We usually try to work in eight to 10 exhibits and there are a few drive-by ones where we really don’t stop to take in a presentation. But there is only so much geography you can cover. This year’s tour is centered in the North Hall of LVCC, where more of the AI and robotic exhibits are located,” he says. “We’ll also expect to wander into Central Hall on the tour.”
One stop Jacobs expects to make is at Steg.AI, which is exhibiting for the first time at CES. Within the AI ecosystem, Steg.AI is all about watermarking and helping companies detect deep fakes. “Which has been an issue in radio and with the FCC over the possibility of mandating radio broadcasters identify AI created political spots,” Jacobs says.
Deep fake and AI detection, Jacobs says, is something every content creator and distributor, including radio, will have to be worried about to avoid content copycats.
“In this new world of digital audio and entertainment, protecting content, images and talent from illegal duplication will be a top priority,” Jacobs says.
It won’t be on one of his tour stops at CES 2025, but Jacobs says he is taking notice that SiriusXM Radio has a higher-than-usual profile at the electronics show. “Normally they don’t have much of a presence, outside of an exhibit but this year they are keynoting over at C Space at the ARIA on Tuesday,” he says.
The audio and satcaster’s CEO Jennifer Witz today takes center stage on the opening day of CES. For her keynote at the ARIA Resort & Casino, Witz is expected to dive into the future of audio from streaming to podcasting and the impact of technology on media consumption. Podcast host Ashley Flowers is scheduled to join Witz on stage.
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SiriusXM announced in December it is pivoting from streaming audio and podcasting and returning its focus to the in-car entertainment space. Witz admitted at the time the satcaster failed to make its extensive mobile streaming strategy a winner.
In addition, SiriusXM Radio will be in a booth on level 3 (Primrose 1) in the C Space campus at CES, which is where “innovation meets inspiration, connecting the world’s leading brands, advertisers, media platforms, and content creators,” NAB says.
Keynote addresses offer insights to market trends, consumer behavior and emerging technologies. Delivering a keynote speech at CES is a big deal, Jacobs says.
Others on the keynote schedule this week at CES include Yuki Kusumi, group president of Panasonic Holdings, and Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines. Jensen Huang CEO of NVIDIA delivered his highly anticipated opening CES keynote Monday night at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.
CES opens Tuesday to attendees and continues through Friday. Check back for more coverage on this year’s show from Radio World.
