By Futurist Thomas Frey
Should you buy a new TV today? That depends on how long you plan to keep it—because by 2040, the entire concept of “watching TV” will be unrecognizable from what we do now.
The simple act of sitting on a couch staring at a glowing rectangle mounted on the wall is about to undergo its most radical transformation since the invention of television itself. And yes, if you’re planning to keep that TV for 15 years, you might want to wait. Here’s why.
Multiple Futures, Not One
First, the honest answer: there won’t be one way to watch TV in 2040. There will be multiple competing technologies operating simultaneously in different parts of the world, in different income brackets, and for different purposes. But several clear trends are converging.
Holographic projection is coming. Not the clunky headsets we have today, but genuine volumetric displays that project 3D content into your living space without requiring you to wear anything. You’ll see characters and environments as three-dimensional presences in the room with you—not flat images on screens.
Early versions exist in labs now. By 2030, luxury models will be available. By 2040, they’ll be mainstream in developed nations. The “screen” disappears entirely—replaced by projectors that create images in mid-air using light field technology, volumetric displays, or plasma-based projection.
Immersive environments become standard. Not just watching content but experiencing it. The walls of your room become the content—360-degree projection creating environments around you. Want to watch a nature documentary? You’re in the rainforest, surrounded by trees, with animals moving around you in full dimensionality.
Change your viewing angle and you see different perspectives—not because cameras filmed from multiple angles but because AI reconstructs the entire scene in three dimensions, allowing you to explore it spatially. You’re not watching a story happen—you’re inside it, able to look around and choose where to focus attention.
Interactive commerce becomes native. You’ll absolutely be able to touch something you like and purchase instantly. See an outfit you want? Touch it, and the garment appears in your virtual fitting room, sized to your body. Like the furniture in a show? Tag it, and your home’s AI determines if it fits your space and aesthetic, then orders it if you approve.
This isn’t clumsy QR codes or pausing to search—it’s seamless integration where every object in content is potentially purchasable with a gesture. The line between entertainment and shopping dissolves completely.
AI-Generated Content That Adapts to You
Here’s where it gets really interesting: by 2040, much content won’t be pre-created by human writers at all—it’ll be generated in real-time by AI based on your preferences, mood, and reactions.
Storylines adapt as you watch. The AI monitors your biometrics—heart rate, attention, emotional responses—and adjusts the narrative accordingly. If a subplot bores you, it accelerates or eliminates it. If a character captivates you, they get more screen time. The story literally evolves based on how you’re reacting.
This doesn’t mean every viewer sees completely different shows—there will still be “canonical” versions of major productions. But increasingly, content will have flexibility built in. Think of it as branching narratives that adjust automatically without you making explicit choices. The AI detects what engages you and emphasizes those elements while de-emphasizing what doesn’t.
Personalized performances. AI will replace actors’ faces and voices with versions optimized for your preferences. You might watch the same show your friend watches, but see different actors—not because you chose them explicitly, but because AI knows which actors, body types, and personality presentations appeal to you most.
This sounds dystopian until you realize it’s inevitable once the technology exists. Why watch generic content when you can watch versions personalized for maximum engagement?
Genre blending and remixing. Don’t like how a show ended? The AI generates alternative endings. Want to see your favorite characters in different scenarios? The system creates new episodes combining elements from multiple shows you love.
Copyright becomes nightmarish to enforce, but user experience becomes unprecedented.
The Holodeck Question
Will we have Star Trek-style holodecks? Not quite—but closer than you’d think.
Full holodeck realism requires technology we don’t have: hard-light holograms you can touch, haptic feedback covering your entire body, and sensory manipulation creating smell and taste. That’s probably not happening by 2040.
But we’ll have something in between: mixed reality environments where your room is augmented with holographic content that looks and sounds real, even if you can’t physically touch it. Combined with haptic gloves or suits, you’ll get limited tactile feedback. It won’t be perfect immersion, but it’ll be far beyond anything we have today.
The “holodeck wars” you mention—conflicts between people who prefer reality versus those who live in simulations—are already beginning. By 2040, they’ll be intense social and political issues. Some people will spend most waking hours in enhanced or completely virtual environments. Others will reject it entirely. Society will fracture along this dimension like it has over every previous technology.
So Should You Buy a TV Today?
Here’s the practical answer:
If you replace TVs every 3-5 years: Buy what makes sense now. Current technology is good enough and will remain compatible with most content through 2030.
If you keep TVs for 7-10 years: Consider waiting or buying high-end models with upgrade paths. The transition to holographic displays will accelerate after 2030, and you’ll want hardware that can interface with new formats.
If you’re buying for 10+ years: Definitely wait or prepare to upgrade. Flat screens will look as outdated in 2040 as CRT televisions look today. You’ll want holographic projection systems that don’t exist in consumer form yet.
Regional Variations
This transformation won’t happen uniformly:
Wealthy tech hubs (San Francisco, Singapore, Seoul, Dubai) will adopt holographic and immersive systems by early 2030s. These will be showcases for what’s possible, driving demand globally.
Developed nations will see mainstream adoption of basic holographic displays by late 2030s, with premium immersive environments for wealthy consumers.
Developing nations will still use flat screens through 2040, though with AI-personalized content streaming. Physical displays remain cheaper than projection systems for years.
Rural and lower-income populations globally will continue using conventional televisions through 2040 and beyond, with technology diffusion following the typical 10-15 year lag behind wealthy urban early adopters.
What Doesn’t Change
Some things remain constant:
Content quality matters. Bad stories don’t become good just because they’re holographic. AI generation doesn’t automatically mean engaging narratives. Human creativity remains essential even when machines handle execution.
Social viewing persists. Watching content with family and friends remains important. Technology must accommodate multiple viewers simultaneously—personalization can’t be so extreme that shared experiences become impossible.
Passive consumption has value. Not everything needs to be interactive or adaptive. Sometimes you want to watch what creators intended without personalization. Traditional “lean back” experiences won’t disappear—they’ll coexist with interactive alternatives.
Final Thoughts
By 2040, “watching TV” means something completely different than today. Holographic content floating in your living room. Storylines adapting to your reactions in real-time. Environments you can explore spatially. Instant commerce integrated seamlessly. AI-generated content personalized to your preferences.
The flat rectangle on your wall becomes quaint—the equivalent of watching on a CRT television today. It still works, but everyone knows you’re missing the real experience.
Should you buy a TV today? Only if you’re planning to replace it before this transformation accelerates in the early 2030s. Otherwise, wait—because what’s coming is so fundamentally different that current technology will feel primitive very soon.
The future of television isn’t watching—it’s experiencing. And that future is closer than most people realize.
Related Stories:
