Convergence of Internet and TV: The Commercial Viability of P2P Content Delivery

摘要

The popularity of (illegal) P2P (peer-to-peer) file sharing has a disruptiveimpact on Internet traffic and business models of content providers. Inaddition, several studies have found an increasing demand for bandwidth consumingcontent, such as video, on the Internet. Although P2P systems havebeen put forward as a scalable and inexpensive model to deliver such content,there has been relatively little economic analysis of the potentials and obstaclesof P2P systems as a legal and commercial content distribution model. Manycontent providers encounter uncertainties regarding the adoption or rejection ofP2P networks to spread content over the Internet. The recent launch of severalcommercial, legal P2P content distribution platforms increases the importanceof an integrated analysis of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities andThreats (SWOT).