Sports over IP : dynamics and perspectives

Abstract

Technological advances are allowing the use of the Internet Protocol and the Internet infrastructure mainly built by cable and telecom operators for broadcasting purposes in the U.S. This disruption raises a business issue for the existing value chain, as new entrants are upsetting the existing value chain for video delivery. This thesis will focus on the implications of online video delivery for Sports content in the United States. The general question that is addressed in this thesis is: How would a shift toward Internetbased delivery systems influence the current value chain for Sports broadcasting? Case studies will first show that the broadcasting industry is prone to disruption, and that online video delivery has the potential to upset the existing value chain, and the business models associated with it. The question can be then divided into three sub-categories, which deal with the technical issues, regulatory needs, and business model changes that Sports over IP may cause -- which are explored in separate chapters in the second part of this thesis. In the last part of the thesis, a system dynamics model is used to study the technological and regulatory conditions under which the market will tip towards predominance of broadcasters by content owners in the post-disruption value chain. Building the model with the standard procedure (described in the thesis) will give insights on what the main dynamics are, and how interrelations and feedbacks among those main dynamics can influence the whole system.