Superstars and underdogs
Subtitle: an examination of the long tail phenomenon in video sales
By: Anita Elberse, Felix Oberholzer-Gee
Contributors: Oberholzer-Gee, Felix; Harvard Business School. Division of Research
Series: Working paper / Division of Research, Harvard Business School -- 07-015; Working paper (Harvard Business School. Division of Research) -- 07-015
Publisher: Division of Research, Harvard Business School
Published: 2006
Place of publication: Boston]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 48
Description: The rise of online channels facilitates the distribution of a wide range of products and services. Academics and industry observers agree that online distribution will fundamentally change the number and variety of products that consumers purchase. However, there is sharp disagreement about what type of change will occur. Proponents of the "long tail" idea argue that a sharp increase in the variety of products offered through online channels will fuel a shift in consumption away from hits to a much larger number of lower-selling niche products. While the long-tail view predicts an increase in the heterogeneity of consumption patterns, the well-known superstar effect promises the exact opposite. As consumers have access to their favorite content wherever they are whenever they demand it, consumption patterns will become more, not less uniform, this theory predicts.
Notes: "September, 5, 2006"--Added t.p.

Includes bibliographical references.