Open standards and the dynamics of platform competition: analyzing the nascent podcasting ecosystem - 5 May 2020

About the seminar: “While existing research has tended to focus on centrally controlled platforms owned by a single firm, our study instead investigates a setting characterized by more decentralized control. We study the emergence of the podcasting industry, where an open distribution standard diminishes the economic value of proprietary platforms, setting the stage for a different set of competitive dynamics. Our findings suggest that the widespread adoption of an open distribution standard significantly reduces - though not eliminates entirely - the ability of aspiring platform leaders to capture value based on controlling distribution. As a result, competition instead shifts to alternative ways in which value is created and captured. Our study contributes to the existing literature by showing how a standards-based ecosystem emerges and subsequently develops; how such an ecosystem co-evolves with a set of institutional norms that emphasize openness; and how these dynamics subsequently affect how value is created and captured by firms operating in such an ecosystem”.

More information about Dr. Richard Tee is available here: https://ssehoi.com/brt.

Zoom link will be sent to registered participants.