Circulation Patterns, Abundance and Scarcity: Film Availability in the Online Era

Abstract

Online circulation, diversity of content in video-on-demand (VOD) catalogs, and access to markets are increasingly relevant research subjects. Netflix, Amazon, and many other VOD platforms have an important role to play in making content available, but little is known about circulation patterns that have developed in the online market. This paper draws on an empirically rich analysis of online film availability on nineteen VOD platforms in Germany to develop discussions about circulation patterns. The study finds that the market for VOD platforms has become fragmented, with the effect that some VOD platforms have changed business models, distribution strategies, and content selections, and therefore reshaped circulation patterns. Analytically, the study argues that it has become challenging to think about online availability through binary logics of scarcity and abundance.