RETHINKING MEDIA PLURALISM IN THE PLATFORM ERA TOWARD AN ASYMMETRICAL PLURALISM FRAMEWORK FOR COMPETITION BETWEEN GLOBAL AND LOCAL VIDEO-ON-DEMAND PLATFORMS IN INDONESIA

Abstract

Over-the-top (OTT) video on demand (VOD) apps have quickly become popular. This has changed how media companies compete and shown where global and local services have been missing for a long time. This paper talks about the idea of "asymmetrical plurality" and looks at the Indonesian OTT-VOD market to show that structural unfairness and market variety can live together. For this qualitative case study, data were gathered from a lot of different places. There were also official company papers and reports, as well as semi-structured conversations with regulators, politicians, business leaders, and professors. The study shows that digital infrastructures, algorithms, data, and strategic partnerships are now the main things that make the broadcast industry competitive, not different stations competing with each other. There are more platforms than ever before, but global platforms are still better for money, tech, data, and connecting communities. In order to stay competitive, local platforms use cultural closeness, localizing material, and building relationships with institutions. Asymmetrical pluralism broadens liberal-pluralist political economics by demonstrating that the unequal distribution of competing resources mattered as much as different markets for media pluralism in the platform age.