Abstract Considering the effects of cross-network externalities and intra-network externalities, a video platform supply chain game model consisting of a premium content producer and two horizontally differentiated video platforms is established to explore the premium content producer’s licensing strategies under the two market structures of vertical separation and vertical integration. The study shows that: ① when the cross-network externality is below a certain threshold, the premium content producer will engage in exclusive licensing, and the licensing fee is higher and the platform advertising is more in exclusive licensing; ② the intra-network externality has an amplifying effect on the competitive advantage that the exclusive premium content brings to the platforms, thereby expanding the scope of exclusive licensing; ③ the range of the parameter where non-exclusive licensing occurs is larger in the vertically integrated model compared to the vertically separated model; ④ exclusive licensing does not always lead to lower consumer surplus and total welfare.
LIU Zhiheng,LI Kai. Research on the Decision of Exclusive Licensing of Premium Content on Video Platforms Considering Network Externality Effects[J]. Chinese Journal of Management, 2025, 22(5): 917-.
