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Superstars in two-sided markets: exclusives or not?

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  • Leonardo Madio
  • Carroni, Elias
  • Shekhar, Shiva

Abstract

This article studies incentives for a premium provider (Superstar) to offer exclusive contracts to competing platforms mediating the interactions between consumers and firms. When platform competition is intense, more consumers affiliate with the platform favored by Superstar exclusivity. This mechanism is self-reinforcing as firms follow consumer decisions and some join the favored platform only. Exclusivity always benefits firms and might eventually benefit consumers. A vertical merger (platform-Superstar) makes non-exclusivity more likely than if the Superstar was independent. The analysis provides novel insights for managers and policymakers and it is robust to several variations and extensions.

Suggested Citation

  • Leonardo Madio & Carroni, Elias & Shekhar, Shiva, 2019. "Superstars in two-sided markets: exclusives or not?," 2019 Papers pma2756, Job Market Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:jmp:jm2019:pma2756
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Jullien, Bruno & Sand-Zantman, Wilfried, 2021. "The Economics of Platforms: A Theory Guide for Competition Policy," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    2. Carroni, Elias & Paolini, Dimitri, 2020. "Business models for streaming platforms: Content acquisition, advertising and users," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    3. Bruno Jullien & Alessandro Pavan & Marc Rysman, 2021. "Two-sided markets, pricing, and network effects," Post-Print hal-03828345, HAL.
    4. Juan Manuel Sanchez‐Cartas & Gonzalo León, 2021. "Multisided Platforms And Markets: A Survey Of The Theoretical Literature," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(2), pages 452-487, April.
    5. Cuntz, Alexander & Bergquist, Kyle, 2022. "Exclusive content and platform competition in Latin America," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    6. Leonardo Madio & Carroni, Elias & Shekhar, Shiva, 2019. "Superstars in two-sided markets: exclusives or not?," 2019 Papers pma2756, Job Market Papers.
    7. Edmond Baranes & Cuong Hung Vuong, 2020. "Investment in Quality Upgrade and Regulation of the Internet," CESifo Working Paper Series 8074, CESifo.
    8. Qiuyu Lu & Noriaki Matsushima, 2023. "Personalized pricing when consumers can purchase multiple items," ISER Discussion Paper 1192, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University.
    9. E. Carroni & D. Paolini, 2019. "The business model of a streaming platform," Working Paper CRENoS 201902, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia.
    10. Akifumi Ishihara & Ryoko Oki, 2021. "Exclusive content in two‐sided markets," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(3), pages 638-654, August.
    11. Qiuyu Lu & Noriaki Matsushima, 2024. "Personalized Pricing When Consumers Can Purchase Multiple Items," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 72(4), pages 1507-1524, December.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L22 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Organization and Market Structure
    • L86 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Information and Internet Services; Computer Software
    • K21 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - Antitrust Law

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