Content (non-)exclusivity in platform businesses the case of mobile broadcasting platforms

Abstract

By means of a literature review, the paper discusses the role of exclusive dealings for premium content in mobile broadcasting platforms. As first movers may benefit from exclusive access, alternative operators are facing significant barriers for accessing must-have content that may drive consumer uptake and subscription rates. In this paper, it is argued that exclusivity not only drives media markets but also forecloses them and hinders fair competition and radical innovation. Therefore, a platform-based broadcasting model with shared access and royalty-based revenues is proposed as all stakeholders -content producers, platform operators and consumers -may benefit from the non-exclusive distribution of premium content.