2026 Outlook: Viaccess-Orca’s Einat Kahana on gamification, Gen Alpha and the end of passive viewing

The television industry has spent decades perfecting the art of passive consumption. But Einat Kahana, vice president of product solutions at Viaccess-Orca, said that model is approaching obsolescence. A generation raised on Roblox and Fortnite expects agency, not just access. And the companies that fail to recognize this shift, she said, will find themselves irrelevant by 2026.

Kahana’s outlook for the year ahead centers on a fundamental transformation in how audiences engage with video content. The distinctions that have defined media distribution — premium versus ad-supported, linear versus on-demand, professional versus user-generated — are dissolving. In their place, she said, a new ecosystem is taking shape, one where interactivity is native, bundles are personalized and authenticity must be verifiable.

The blurring of premium and FAST

The boundary between subscription video and free ad-supported streaming television has eroded, Kahana said. While consolidation will reduce the number of generic FAST channels, she noted a simultaneous trend toward hyper-segmentation through skinny bundles and customized packages. Consumers, she said, are rejecting “all-or-nothing” offerings in favor of micro-bundles that combine specific sports leagues, creator-led linear channels and niche FAST content at lower price points.

New business models are emerging from the creator economy and gaming, Kahana said. Creator-led linear channels, where influencers curate 24/7 streams, represent one example. Token-gated content, which turns subscribers into members with ownership stakes, represents another. She also pointed to immersive FAST channels that incorporate virtual goods and interactive chat, alongside micro-transactions for tipping or purchasing specific live moments.

“We are entering an era where the line between premium SVOD and FAST is now completely blurred,” Kahana said.

The shift extends beyond business models to content itself. The distinction between user-generated content and premium content will dissolve, Kahana said, as platforms curate high-quality UGC and micro-episodes alongside feature films to retain younger audiences within the same app ecosystem.

Interactivity as a primary expectation

The assumption that premium video content is passive will be disrupted, Kahana said.

For a generation raised on platforms like Roblox and Fortnite, she noted, watching a screen without interaction feels incomplete. Interactive features such as polls, overlays and social feeds have been treated as optional second-screen additions, but that practice will become outdated, she said. By the end of 2025, major broadcasters will recognize that interactivity must be native to the primary video stream to retain Gen Alpha viewers, she added, blurring the line between television and gaming.

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“For a generation raised on platforms like Roblox and Fortnite, watching a screen without any way to interaction feels incomplete,” Kahana said.

Organizations are underestimating the pace of this change, she said. By 2026, viewers will expect persistent digital identities and avatars that can watch alongside friends in virtual living rooms. They will expect interactive layers that blur the distinction between video streams and video games. Broadcasters who dismiss this as a niche trend rather than a fundamental shift in consumption habits will lose relevance, Kahana said.

Kahana said AI will manage more components of the full media lifecycle in 2026, generating localized dubbing and personalized highlights while verifying ad placements and ensuring brand safety in real time. However, as AI touches every workflow stage, the operational risk of verifying authenticity increases, she said. The missing element is what she described as a “proof of authenticity” — a digital stamp that confirms to viewers that news clips or sports highlights are genuine footage rather than AI fabrications.

“Without this basic layer of verification, the efficiency AI brings will be undermined by a lack of audience trust,” Kahana said.

For Viaccess-Orca, success in 2026 will be measured by what Kahana called the “Platform Engagement Index,” a composite metric that tracks how operators use the company’s platform. Rather than counting active customers, the index measures adoption of AI tools, volume of API calls and activation of real-time audience participation features. A high index score indicates that customers are using the platform as a strategic growth engine rather than a utility, which correlates to long-term retention and business health, she said.