On-demand Services and Media Diversity

REFERENCE SERIES NO. 18MAPPING DIGITAL MEDIA: ON-DEMAND SERVICES AND MEDIA DIVERSITYBy Laure Kaltenbach and Alexandre JouxMarch 2012On-demand Services and Media DiversityWRITTEN BY1Laure Kaltenbach and Alexandre JouxOn-demand services give access by internet (or cable) to video, audio and other content. A vast range of on-demand media products is now available. Media corporations no longer monopolize the routes by which content comes to thrive in the on-demand world. Social networks, YouTube, and word of mouth all play their part. While content creators saw their market share rise between 2000 and 2009 from 12 percent to 13 percent of the total, the publishers’ share fell from 71 percent to 48 percent and the distributors’ share rose from 17 percent to 39 percent. Th e new pairing of high-tech gadgets with internet services is becoming the gateway to content on demand. Th e “broadcasters” on the internet—Apple, Sony, Amazon, and so on—are both device manufacturers and online service providers. Th e content available via their platforms will draw in the consumers of on-demand media. Th e infl uence of on-demand services is likely to increase as internet-connected television sets become more common. Online services are all about technical competence, not social responsibility. Th ey leave internet users to decide what deserves to be read, viewed, and heard.