The Players, Part Two: Rivals in Online Distribution

Abstract

Six companies are profiled: Amazon, one of the largest Internet companies with a production and distribution ecosystem of great scale and potential; Apple, whose customer-centric, marketing-oriented approach has provided it with the scale and resources to engage its massive user base should it so choose; and Facebook, which, as it encounters increasing competition in the social network space may need to differentiate itself from rivals in order to retain its stickiness as a destination for existing users and to continue to attract new users. In addition, Yahoo! adheres to a typical Hollywood strategy of signing big name talent and developing programming built around that talent; Netflix is the recognised market leader in streaming movie and TV rentals and has recently committed to commissioning content; and Hulu is the incumbent TV networks’ major play in the online video space.