Control in Abundance: The Power of OTT Platforms
The Illusion of Content Diversity and Platform Oligopoly
OTT platforms may seem to offer a variety of content, but in reality, a few major platforms like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video dominate the market. These platforms provide exclusive content within their own ecosystems, leveraging strong financial resources and original content production capabilities. As a result, consumers are forced to subscribe to multiple platforms based on their preferred content, which increases economic burden and consumer fatigue. Consequently, the exposure opportunities for smaller platforms or independent content diminish, leading to a reduction in the diversity and creativity of the ecosystem.
Exclusivity of Access Rights and Closure of Ecosystems
The previous broadcasting ecosystem had a certain degree of publicness and shareability, but in the OTT platforms, content access is conducted in an exclusive and closed manner according to the revenue models. For instance, if specific content is exclusively provided on Disney+, it cannot be accessed unless one subscribes to that platform. This exclusive distribution strategy limits the free distribution of content between platforms, and users are forced to make choices dictated by the platforms rather than the content itself. Ultimately, this subordinates the value of the content to the platform.
Bias in Algorithmic Recommendations and Exposure Opportunities
Large OTT platforms use powerful algorithmic recommendation systems to enhance user experience. However, this leads to concentrated exposure to specific content, creating an environment where users repeatedly encounter similar types of content. As a result, creative attempts or experimental content lose their footing, while the phenomenon of centralization around popular content is strengthened. This creates a situation where, despite the existence of diverse content, actual users heavily depend on the top results of the algorithm.
The Encroachment of Local Markets and the Power of Global Platforms
Global OTT platforms are going beyond simple content distribution to directly produce local content targeting the regional market. This results in a structural advantage that surpasses competition with local OTTs or broadcasters. Local content creators find themselves in a position where they have no choice but to collaborate with global platforms, raising concerns about the loss of creative control, imbalanced revenue distribution, and the standardization of content expression. This can be interpreted as a signal that not only is the way we consume culture changing, but also the power structure of cultural production is being restructured.
Redesigning for a Sustainable Content Ecosystem
For the ecosystem centered around OTT platforms to develop in a sustainable manner, content production and distribution must break free from platform dependency. Governments and regulatory bodies need to implement institutional mechanisms to alleviate excessive concentration in the market and ensure that small creators and local platforms can compete fairly. At the same time, a healthy consumption environment should be created where users can choose platforms based on the quality and diversity of content. The age of OTT boasts a variety of choices, but it is essential to recognize that those choices are controlled by the power of the platforms.
Post a Comment