Online distribution: advantages and disadvantages

Online distribution means releasing a product over the internet, through a website, an app or a streaming service, rather than on a physical item. It has real strengths, but also limits worth weighing against physical media.

Why providers choose online distribution

The audience gets instant access: a new episode of a school-run podcast plays the moment it is published, with no delivery wait. There are no geographical limits, so a small animation studio in Leeds can reach viewers in Brazil or Japan. Providers have lower costs because nothing is manufactured, packaged or shipped: no cases, no printing, no courier. The audience needs no physical storage space for shelves of discs. Online distribution can also be greener, cutting down on discarded plastic and on the emissions created by making and delivering discs.

Providers can collect analytics: which trailer was watched to the end, where viewers paused or left, and how often they returned. That helps them improve what they make. Providers can also scale up to a very large audience without making extra physical copies.

What can go wrong

A stable internet connection is needed and is not available everywhere, such as on a train through the countryside. High-quality streaming uses a lot of bandwidth, which is a problem on a limited mobile data plan. Access usually depends on a subscription or account, and the provider can remove a title or shut the service down, so you may lose access and do not own the copy as you would a disc. Geoblocking blocks some content in certain regions because of licensing agreements. Unauthorised copying and sharing are simpler with digital files than with physical copies.

Playback may stall while it loads (buffering), and outages can interrupt access. And having several services can leave consumers overwhelmed by too much choice and too many monthly fees.