Value Networks of P2P TV: An Analysis of Actors and Their Roles

It is widely recognized that peer-to-peer (P2P) networks offer opportunities as a legal and cost- efficient content distribution model. This resulted in an accumulation of literature concerning technical issues. Comparatively little attention has been paid to economic analysis of P2P systems as enabling technologies. This paper examines the value networks of P2P TV, by means of an actor-roles analysis of three cases: VeriSign, Joost and Vuze. This analysis allows us to grasp: how several actors position and distinguish themselves from competing companies, who creates value and what motivates actors to execute certain roles. The main findings reveal many significant differences between the compositions of the three value networks under examination. The results suggest that some P2P providers are not only involved in content distribution, but in B2C roles as well. Finally, we found that, in some cases, end users have become more actively involved in value chains.