Abstract
Drawing on industry lifecycle theory — fragmentation-shakeout-maturity-decline — this chapter outlines three waves of market leaders in the online space for the distribution of film and television. The first pioneering wave (1997–2001) was dominated by firms that were small, under-capitalised and ahead of their time. An initial shakeout stage (2001–2006) occurred when the Hollywood Majors moved into the online distribution space. However, they failed to establish profitable business models. A second shakeout stage (2006-) coincided with Apple entering the movie distribution business, and the launch of YouTube. By 2012, the third wave leaders consolidating their market positions in the online distribution space for film and television were YouTube, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Yahoo!, Facebook and Hulu.
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© 2013 Stuart Cunningham and Jon Silver
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Cunningham, S., Silver, J. (2013). Online Distribution: A Backbone History. In: Screen Distribution and the New King Kongs of the Online World. Palgrave Pivot, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137326454_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137326454_2
Publisher Name: Palgrave Pivot, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-45976-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-32645-4
eBook Packages: Palgrave Media & Culture CollectionLiterature, Cultural and Media Studies (R0)