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Video distribution over the internet leads to heated net‐neutrality related debates between network operators and over‐the‐top application providers. The purpose of this paper is to analyze this debate from a new perspective that takes into account all of the assets that companies try to exploit in the so‐called battle for eyeballs in video distribution.

The systematic value chain analysis is used to determine the points along the value chain where net neutrality interacts with video distribution. The inputs to the analysis are the existing and proposed policy measures for net neutrality in Europe and in the USA, and a number of net neutrality incidents that have led to discussions earlier.

The paper finds that the current and proposed policy measures aimed at net neutrality each contribute to a certain extent to their intended effects. However, the analysis also shows that they are likely to lead to new debates in other parts of the value chain, as players try to compensate the loss of influence or revenue streams by rearranging the ways in which they exploit their assets.

Further and new debates are expected in the areas of peering and interconnection, distribution of resources between over‐the‐top and managed services and the role of devices with tightly linked search engines, recommendation systems and app stores.

The new perspectives offered by our value‐chain based analysis are valuable for policy makers who aim to promote net neutrality and simultaneously stimulate competition and innovation throughout the value chain.

The behaviour of audience, consuming video entertainment, has changed intensely over the years. Lately, the consumers have increasingly preferred to watch video programs, through video-on-demand services through over-the-top medium. The service is novel and the consumer’s perception of the service quality is not well explored. As extant literature considers service quality as the construct to determine the sustained growth of a service, the present study has attempted to explore the dimensions to measure service quality of video-on-demand services.

The authors conducted qualitative, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions amongst the user of the video-on-demand service. The qualitative data was content analysed to furnish thematic dimensions.

The study reveals thematic attributes perceived as dimensions to measure service quality of video-on-demand services.

Considering the exploratory nature of the study, the themes proposed might seem nascent. Hence, it was the authors’ discretion to stop expanding the respondent sample to avoid data saturation. A quantitative establishment of the service quality dimensions was beyond the scope of the current research and would follow in a different study.

The objective of the study is to qualitatively explore service quality dimensions of video-on-demand services. In pursuit of that, the current study explored the consumers’ excerpts, content analysed the data and furnished several themes perceived as service quality dimensions in this context. Such a detailed approach is uncommon in this context.

The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate the role of e-service quality factors in predicting e-satisfaction. The study context was spirituality and well-being over-the-top services. The e-service quality factors consisted of perceived functional completeness, perceived performance, perceived quality of interface and interaction, perceived quality of content and information and perceived quality of customer support. The study goal was to ascertain over-the-top services customers’ behavioral intention toward upgrading to premium subscription and the spread of electronic word of mouth.

This study was based upon the integrated stimulus-organism-response framework where e-service quality represented the stimulus, e-satisfaction the organism, behavioral intention and electronic word of mouth as the response. The study used a moderated-mediation approach with e-satisfaction as the mediator and the price value of a premium subscription as the moderator. To empirically test the model, the authors collected data from 312 spirituality and well-being over-the-top services users in India. Partial least squares-structured equation modeling was used to analyze the collected data.

The findings of the study supported the association between e-service quality factors and e-satisfaction while using spirituality and well-being over-the-top service. The results furthermore indicated that satisfied spirituality and well-being over-the-top customers were willing to upgrade to the premium subscription and spread favorable electronic word of mouth. The moderated-mediation study results revealed that the price value of premium subscriptions moderated the relationship between e-service quality and e-satisfaction but did not moderate the relationship between e-satisfaction and behavioral intention, and e-satisfaction and electronic word of mouth.

This study offered a comprehensive stimulus-organism-response theoretical model by using the five e-service quality measurement factors as “stimuli” for motivating the internal state of spirituality and well-being over-the-top subscribers. This was toward sustained usage in over-the-top services subsequent to the end of the freemium period. Furthermore, in this study, both e-service quality theory and user satisfaction theory were integrated into the stimulus-organism-response model. This helped to better comprehend the impact of e-service quality factors in driving e-satisfaction among spirituality and well-being over-the-top service users.

This study revealed the significance of differentiating premium over-the-top subscriptions based on price value. To ensure a high level of e-satisfaction from a premium subscription, a greater emphasis on the e-service quality dimensions was required. This study provided insights to managers regarding the role of favorable electronic word of mouth in fostering effective customer acquisition.

This was one of the first studies which concurrently integrated perceived value of the premium subscription and e-satisfaction with customers’ behavioral intention and electronic word of mouth through the theoretical lens of stimulus-organism-response.

The demand for over-the-top (OTT) video streaming services has grown manifold in the last few years. With increasing competition in the OTT market, it is vitally important for businesses to understand OTT retail consumers' continuance intentions. This study aims to understand the antecedents of the continuance intention of OTT platforms and distinguish the most essential and best-performing predictor variables of continuance intention.

The study employs an integrated research model based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), flow theory and habit. Data collected from OTT retail consumers (n = 383) using the online survey method are analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling.

The results elucidated which TPB antecedents and dimensions of flow experience affect OTT platforms' continuance intention. The most important factors affecting continuance intention were habit, attitude and perceived behavioral control, while the best-performing factors were perceived behavioral control, perceived enjoyment and attitude.

The study is unique in harmoniously integrating conscious cognitive intention, intrinsic motivation and habit of performing an activity to explain OTT platforms' continuance intention.

The outbreak of COVID-19 saw a robust increase in viewership of over-the-top (OTT) media platforms. This study aims to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on OTT platforms in India, as it has led to reshaping consumer content preferences.

The authors have conducted primary research by doing a survey and focus group discussion. The first study has focused on the impact of various factors such as time, content, convenience, satisfaction and work from home (WFH) on OTT platforms during the COVID-19 crisis and the second study has focused on change in behavior of people before and during lockdown using visual representation.

The findings of this study show that lockdown has played a major role in the increase in viewership of OTT platforms, as people working from home are also using OTT platforms more. The average hours spent on OTT have increased from 0–2 to 2–5 h and average spending that users are willing to make on OTT platforms is Rs 100–300 (per month). The satisfaction level of customers is directly related to space to watch with family, time to use OTT platforms, the quality of content on OTT platforms and preference of OTT platform over television. Also, factors such as age group, occupation, city and income groups also determine the usage of the OTT platform.

The main contribution of this paper is to analyze the customer needs that impact their satisfaction level.

The purpose of this paper is to determine, rank and form composite relational factors that impact the millennial consumer’s mind-set when they opt for an access-based subscription of an over-the-top (OTT) platform service. In the competitive rising Indian market of OTT platforms, there is a need to understand what factors drive the subscription of a service for a company strategizing to build up on their customer base or for a company seeking to retain its customers.

The approach includes determining factors that impact the buying behavior of the consumer and have them ranked by the survey participants in order of their importance as a factor in considering a subscription of an OTT platform service. Questionnaire as a method is used for primary data collection in this research. Using “purposive sampling,” participants of the survey were determined based on their age group and current or historic consumption of at least one OTT platform service. The survey was conducted for the millennial viewership from Tier I and Tier II cities that have good internet connectivity over their mobile phones.

The result of this research is a ranking of factors based on their importance as perceived by the millennial consumers and then form composite factors, which have similarities in responses.

This research enables the consumers of the information to dwell on the factors that prove to be of comparative importance to the consumer and plan/forecast their strategies and further research studies accordingly.

A research along similar lines has been conducted for US-based OTT platforms. However, this research is specific for Indian consumers and platforms and holds significance because of growth in the Indian OTT market.

This paper aims to focus on the interplay between the market of contents and telecom operators. Traditional telecom operators are vulnerable to the new markets and services that appear as a consequence of accessibility to the Internet and, in particular, in the face of over-the-top content as Netflix.

The authors build a conceptual framework to analyze the response strategies by telecom operators in the context of an evolving TV technology.

They argue that the technology that enabled bundling of services was the entry door of telecom operators to the content market and that, nowadays, online TV may be their exit door if they do not display innovative strategies to remain in this market.

This is the first paper exploring the interplay between the market of contents and telecom operators with a focus in countries from Latin America.

COVID-19 preventive measures disrupted the media and entertainment business ecosystem, increased over the top (OTT) consumption, brought new OTT players, thus increased competition, and shaped consumer behaviour and habits. Despite this knowledge, in-depth insights into OTT's consumer behaviour, new usage habit and strategies used by subscription-based OTT platforms to maintain resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic are unknown. This paper aims to fill the two gaps in the extant OTT literature.

This study used Eisenhardt's multiple case studies approach to derive the strategies used by the top-performing subscription-based OTT platforms in India. Moreover, a purposive semi-structured Google survey was used to explore consumers' OTT experience during the pandemic. This study analysed data using NVivo 12 (survey) and MS Excel 2010 (case studies).

This study derived seven resilient OTT strategies; competitive low pricing, enhancing customer experience, launching innovative service plans, content localisation, strategic collaboration, flexibility in technology adoption and proactive sales promotion. Consequent to adopting these strategies, consumers' usage of OTT evolved from occasional to habitual. Convenience, ease of accessibility, risk of contracting COVID-19, variety and quality of content, online reviews and affordability drive consumer preference for OTT. Also, this study revealed consumers' varied OTT experiences.

The contribution is two-fold; the derived strategies for maintaining resilience and the in-depth insights into habit formation and consumer behaviour during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study is valuable for media and entertainment stakeholders like streaming service providers, OTT services, cable operators, etc.

The purpose of this paper is to examine current trends in over the top (OTT) research through bibliometric analysis of Scopus and Web of Science indexed publications. This study attempted to identify the thrust areas that may be addressed through future research initiatives.

This study included bibliometric analysis of research articles published on OTT domain for a time period ranging from 2011 to 2021. The authors were able to extract 137 unique articles from selected databases with inclusion criteria limited to social sciences only. The retrieved data is then analyzed using the R studio and VoSviewer user interfaces. Finally, discussions on citations, keywords, authors and source contributions toward the development of field were presented using descriptive and visual displays.

OTT as a research theme has gained wider acceptance recently. However, there is a scarcity of studies on the subject. The authors discovered that previous studies in the field had focused on technological aspects of the domain thus leaving a plethora of opportunities for future researchers to explore. In this regard, the findings enlisted few unexplored domains specific to OTT that require immediate attention of the researchers and stakeholders. It was suggested to investigate the field from marketing, behavioral, regulatory, social and quality aspects so as to broaden its scope.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is going to be the first bibliometric study ever conducted on OTT research. This study may be considered unique in identifying current trends in OTT research and recommending a course of action for future researchers.

Extant literature in Video on Demand (VoD) has taken the consumer perspective; however, the stakeholder perspective is largely neglected. This paper aims to fill this gap by understanding the strategies to enhance the experience and engage customers from the supplier’s point of view. The purpose of the study is to identify and analyse strategies adopted by over-the-top (OTT) platforms that ensure consumer loyalty in the VoD space.

Using a qualitative approach and inductive qualitative design, the authors interviewed 16 industry experts associated with OTT platforms in India and people handling various marketing-related positions. Data collected included topics related to industry landscape, the value created for a customer, consumer experience, engagement and platform stickiness. Thematic analysis was used to find meaningful semantic elements.

This study has found that consumer experience, content differentiation, consumer sense-making and engagement and platform extension as value enhancers as the key strategies been adopted in the Indian context, thereby leading to a platform’s stickiness.

This research offers insights to policymakers of content, digital platforms, media practitioners and managers that are drawing consumers influenced by platform strategies.

This research provides insights to content policy makers, digital platform leaders, media practitioners, and managers who are influencing consumers through platform strategies.

The research could help entrepreneurs and marketers understand the perspectives of stakeholders in the VoD industry in India.

The study encourages researchers to explore the concept of stickiness, which may or may not be equivalent to loyalty. It is important to focus on quality, frequency, and regular reminders to help customers return to the same platform in the short term.