A drama called "Celebrating More Than Years" has become popular, and the video platform has launched an "advance on-demand" service. The two have pushed users' long-standing anxiety about member consumption to the top, and a tug-of-war around platform rules and consumer rights has begun.
The evolution of the video membership model
In the early years, video platforms mainly relied on advertising revenue. Users had to endure long-term advertisements to watch free content. Around 2015, many platforms vigorously promoted paid membership systems and promised members to enjoy rights such as removing advertisements and watching exclusive content. This model was gradually accepted by the market. The number of paid members on platforms such as iQiyi and Tencent Video exceeded 100 million in 2019.
After membership became mainstream, the platform began to explore more value-added services. At the beginning, it was "members can watch in advance", then there was "films that need to be paid to watch", and now there is a situation of "paying for on-demand playback in advance", and the rights and interests of members are continuously and carefully divided. Behind this continuously evolving situation is the platform’s continuous exploration under circumstances where content costs remain high and profitability is under pressure. However, this has also made the original commitment to members more complex and diverse in the end.
The core of the controversy caused by "advanced on-demand"
The crux of the problem is that the platform independently adds new paid levels to the fixed membership rights. When many users purchase annual VIP, they rely on the promise of "being able to watch more content first." However, the emergence of "advance on-demand" shows that even if you have become a VIP, you still have to pay extra if you want to see the ending as soon as possible. This is regarded by many users as a unilateral change of the contract.
Users feel that VIPs should have the primary viewing rights at this stage, but the platform has classified “priority” in more detail. Their approach of reducing members' rights and interests was done without any clear explanation in advance. The deep contradiction lies in the failure of consumption expectations. This kind of behavior touches the bottom line of fair transactions in consumers' hearts, which in turn triggers a strong feeling of being fooled.
Platform business logic and user rights
From a business perspective, in the face of a hit like "Celebrating More Than Years", the platform is eager to maximize its commercial value. "Advanced on-demand" is a differentiated service for core fans, and its purpose is to quickly realize users' enthusiasm for watching dramas. The previous successful test of "Chen Qing Ling" also led the platform to realize the ability of this model to attract money in the short term.
However, this kind of logic divides users into different levels according to their paying ability, but does not take into account the long-term feelings of users and the protection of their rights and interests. Although this situation is relatively common in the commercial field, if it is not handled appropriately, it can easily cause damage to the emotion and trust of the most core paying users. Losing long-term brand loyalty in exchange for short-term revenue growth is a risky trade-off, as follows.
Industry practices and consumer adaptation
In the fields of games, music, etc., paying to unlock additional objects or processes is nothing new. Many mobile games have "in-app purchases" to speed up the process or obtain rare props. The success of this business model is based on users' clear understanding that basic services are free or low-priced, while value-added services have clear prices.
Video platforms are facing a dilemma. This dilemma is that their membership fees are regarded by the majority of users as equivalent payment to obtain full priority viewing rights. The "advance on-demand" model is like splitting off one part of the service content that the user has already paid for and selling it again at a high price. Such behavior changes the consumption habits that users have long been accustomed to, so this requires more transparent and longer-term communication, rather than suddenly launching the series when it is in the hot stage.
Supervision gaps and rights protection dilemmas
Currently, there is a lack of clear laws, regulations or industry standards to define the specific scope of rights and interests of video platform membership services. The electronic agreements signed by users when purchasing VIPs are often lengthy and the rights terms are vague, which gives the platform greater room for interpretation. When disputes arise, individual users face difficulties in providing evidence and high costs in defending their rights.
Although the People's Daily and other media have raised their voices to criticize, this is within the scope of public opinion supervision and does not have the power of coercion. Consumer associations can accept complaints, but final mediation still depends on the sincerity of the platform. To change the current situation, it may be necessary to promote the introduction of more detailed regulations in the field of digital consumption, or for regulatory authorities to conduct interviews and correct unreasonable format clauses.
Seek win-win possible paths
The future direction of development lies in finding a balance between the sustainable development of the platform and the sense of gain for users. The platform can explore a clearer ladder-like membership system. For example, the viewing rights corresponding to different membership levels will be announced before the series starts to be broadcast, allowing users to make choices based on their own needs and preventing disputes caused by changing the rules midway.
Another idea is to enrich the value of members, rather than simply splitting viewing rights. For example, binding members to discounts on peripheral products, binding members to various opportunities to meet with leading actors online and watching, and binding members to diversified benefits such as exclusive documentary viewing to enhance the overall sense of satisfaction that members have. This change in thinking requires the platform to shift from a sales-related and content-related thinking to an operation-related and relationship-related thinking.
Do you think that video platforms continue to launch new paid projects based on membership, is it an inevitable move for business model innovation, or is it an overdraft of consumer trust? Welcome to share your opinions in the comment area. If you agree with the views of this article, please like it to support it.
