Towards new coopetition-based business models? The case of Netflix on the French market

The purpose of this research paper is to discuss the evolution in business models (BM) of one key player (Netflix) in the French online streaming video services market.

The paper is based on a qualitative approach (Netflix case study based on secondary data) to reduce the gap between theory and business practice.

Through technological convergence, the movie and video industry has seen dramatic changes in the means of consumption, forcing the traditional media players to evolve and adapt their strategy and BM to face new entrants (mainly IT companies). Coopetitive practices have been developed in spite of a fierce competition in the French market with impact on BM. Netflix is representative of this evolution.

This qualitative research is based on a case study. The results of a single case study cannot be used to make generalizations. Certainly, this paper represents only a first step. Further research is required in this field.

The originality of this paper is to expand the understanding of BMs by including various strategic and marketing perspectives and analyze the impact of coopetitive practices on the BM of one key player: Netflix.