How users approach novel media products: brand perception of Netflix and Amazon Prime video as signposts within the German subscription-based video-on-demand market

Abstract

ABSTRACT Today, subscription-based video-on-demand (S-VoD) streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are relevant players within the video content value chain by number of consumers and sales volume. These services represent a rich research context to examine users’ brand perception of novel media products. This study investigates Germany’s most popular S-VoD services Netflix and Amazon Prime Video from a perspective of the Function-oriented Media Brand Model. The model is applied to both services in a quantitative online survey (N = 1267). Overall, the results indicate a more favourably media brand perception of Netflix compared to Amazon Prime Video. Findings are discussed with regard to media brand theory and implications for media companies and potentials for future media brand research are outlined.