From broadcasting to internet distribution

This research examined how television broadcasters can innovate their business models in order to differentiate themselves in the over-the-top television industry. Television broadcasters need to respond to recent shifts in competitive forces in this industry to increase their competitive advantage and to create a durable strategic position. This research examined the business models of five successful platforms by conducting interviews with high-level employees of these platforms. Also, interviews with eight experts were conducted in order to put the findings of the case studies in a broader perspective. The comparison of the case studies and the expert interviews enabled the distillation of several significant findings. Over-the-top television platforms should improve the value of their content, experience and distribution. This can be done by attaching importance to the following business model elements: aggregation, localization, exclusiveness, content recommendation, data utilization, third-party distribution and multiplatform distribution. These findings show that the role of the consumer has become very significant in this industry and that over-the-top television platforms should attach great importance to the creation of value to their users.