Tag: platform economics

Meta’s roughly $10 billion legal expense shows how recommendation systems are becoming direct P&L issues, while YouTube, the BBC, Flipboard, and Roku are fighting over who controls discovery. As algorithms increasingly shape audience, ad revenue, rights value, and distribution, recommendation…

BBC Director-General Matt Brittin’s proposing an open iPlayer that would add creator-led programming and use a “public service algorithm” to recommend content around the BBC’s mission rather than engagement or advertising goals. The model could expand iPlayer’s programming supply and…

Kirby examines how TV operating systems control discovery, billing, advertising, and viewer data. As ownership consolidates, the fight is shifting from apps to the interface, increasing the value of less-conflicted platforms.

Spotify’s podcast pivot is turning creator ownership into a more profitable form of platform control. By stepping back from costly exclusives and letting creators absorb production risk, Spotify can still shape discovery, monetization, data and distribution without needing to own…

Skip says that search isn’t disappearing, but the traditional search box is losing its role as the primary gateway to consumer intent. AI, recommendation engines, creator platforms, retailer apps, and streaming interfaces are turning search into an embedded concierge layer…

From the Archives revisits how Apple's App Store 30/70 revenue split evolved from a software distribution model into a broader framework for platform economics. The piece explores how controlling access, payments, and customer relationships became as valuable as owning content…

From the Archives revisits MTV Overdrive, MTV’s 2005 attempt to build a streaming destination years before modern platforms took over digital video. The service recognized the shift toward short-form, on-demand viewing early, but struggled as distribution and discovery moved away…

Last week underscored that distribution, discovery, and monetization systems have become the most valuable assets in streaming, not the content itself. Roku, DAZN, ESPN, Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube all made moves to control the viewer entry point, compress decision-making, and…

From the Archives examines how Roku’s shift from a neutral device to a platform control layer has moved power toward its owned interface, discovery, and monetization systems. The Roku Channel, subscription aggregation, and hardware-level distribution like remote shortcuts have positioned…

From the Archives shows how Patreon pioneered the “subscribe to a person” model, giving creators a sustainable alternative to ad-based platforms. By turning fandom into recurring revenue, it reshaped the creator economy. Even as it faced growing pains, the core…