[Commlist] Call for Papers: Journal of Digital Media & Policy (Special Issue: ‘US-Based SVOD Providers in Europe: Impacts and Challenges’)

Call for Papers: Journal of Digital Media & Policy


Special Issue: ‘US-Based SVOD Providers in Europe: Impacts and Challenges’


#JDMPJournal


Deadlines:


Abstracts (400 words): 12 November 2022

Full manuscripts (6–8,000 words, including references): 6 March 2023


We will also consider short reports/commentaries with a policy focus of 
between 1,500–2,000 words, as well as books reviews. All submissions 
should be directed to the guest editors.


Guest Editors:

Maria Trinidad García Leiva

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain

(mtgleiva /at/ hum.uc3m.es) <mailto:(mtgleiva /at/ hum.uc3m.es)>


Heritiana Ranaivoson

Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

(heritiana.renaud.ranaivoson /at/ vub.be) 
<mailto:(heritiana.renaud.ranaivoson /at/ vub.be)>


Principal Editor:

Petros Iosifidis

City, University of London, UK

(p.iosifidis /at/ city.ac.uk) <mailto:(p.iosifidis /at/ city.ac.uk)>


Read the full call here>>

https://www.intellectbooks.com/asset/66257/1/CfP_JDMP_May_2022.pdf 
<https://www.intellectbooks.com/asset/66257/1/CfP_JDMP_May_2022.pdf>


Information:


Audiovisual production, distribution and consumption have experienced 
remarkable changes over the past few decades. The global market for 
video-on-demand (VoD) services has particularly grown (Doyle 2018; 
Johnson 2019). According to Statista, so-called over-the-top TV and 
video revenue worldwide is expected to reach 210.29 billion US dollars 
by 2026, more than double the 83.34 billion generated in 2019. One of 
among the most popular and rapidly expanding of these services are 
subscription video-on-demand services (SVoD). According to this same 
source, the gross number of SvoD subscriptions worldwide amounted to 904 
million in 2020 and is expected to reach nearly 1.5 billion by 2026.


In Europe, where SvoD subscriptions tripled between 2017 and 2020, 
according to Ampere Analysis, the growth has been ascribed to the 
presence and rapid expansion of US-based providers like Netflix or Prime 
Video, which have been launched from 2012 on and dominate the scenario. 
They are putting pressure on the European markets and regulators, as 
their reach and their user/subscription base expanded rapidly (Arthofer 
et al 2016; EAO 2018). And this in spite of the growing number of 
European companies offering SvoD services. The entrance of newcomers 
such as Apple TV+ or Disney+ has confirmed the key status of this type 
of service.


On the one hand, US-based SvoD providers have been linked to an increase 
in the number of audiovisual works available in the European markets 
(Iordache 2021) and the reinforcement of more flexible ways of 
audiovisual consumption (Marrazzo 2020); while they have also been 
placed at the forefront of creativity and innovation (Neira 2020). On 
the other hand, they have also been at the centre of many policy debates 
(Ranaivoson 2019). Some of the most critical questions regarding their 
role have been related to the non-transparent impact of their 
recommender systems on the content displayed to their users (Ranaivoson 
2020) as well as to discoverability issues (García Leiva 2020); to the 
relative scarcity of local works compared to the abundance of 
programming originating in the United States (Albornoz and García Leiva 
2021); to the unequal conditions in which traditional media companies 
must face competition from transnational providers, or to non-compliance 
with obligations ranging from taxes to the promotion of European works 
(García Leiva and Albornoz 2020). Their impact and role, therefore, are 
thus situated within very different contexts and have, in turn, 
different consequences.


This special issue seeks to consider, both empirically and 
theoretically, the numerous challenges arising from the activities of 
US-based SvoD providers and their economic, policy and sociocultural 
impacts in Europe. It will bring together scholars of communication, 
law, economics and technology, who are invited to address issues such as:


• their role in the diversity of content made available, especially 
regarding their type, origin and the languages involved;

• their impact on audiovisual production and distribution, especially in 
terms of deals, investment and costs;

• their relationships developed with other industry players in local 
markets (creators, producers, broadcasters, etc.);

• their competition with new and traditional audiovisual media services 
providers, especially public service media;

• their implementation of recommender systems, and the impact on the 
diversity of suggested and displayed content (discoverability issues 
included);

• their effect on consumption and reception practices, and how SvoD 
consumers use them in complement or substitution of their other 
audiovisual practices;

• the implications for future regulatory frameworks and policy decisions 
in light, for example, of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive and 
of the Council of Europe’s European Convention on Transfrontier Television;

• their eventual contribution to the development of a European 
audiovisual space.

• Comparative approaches (between countries, regions, providers, 
services…) will be especially welcomed.


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