Regulating Discoverability in Subscription Video-on-Demand Services

Abstract In recent years, the growing popularity of services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ has raised complex challenges for media policy. Established policy approaches in a range areas including audio-visual licensing, classification, censorship, local production support are now being disrupted governments grapple with “Netflix effect” its implications national markets institutions. Meanwhile, consumption practices also changing algorithmically curated interfaces SVOD invite audiences to discover content new ways. particular, use personalised recommendation other algorithmic filtering techniques prompted discussion how SVODs manage visibility different kinds content—and whether these discovery environments require response. This chapter explores discoverability emerged topic debate, specifically relation services, this is connected precedents law prominence regulation. We reflect on many tensions inherent area policy—which exists at interface platform regulation—and consider some normative questions when intervene audiences’ choices.