Subscription-Based Video on Demand Markets and Consumers: An Integrative Review and Research Agenda

Abstract

This study provides an integrative review of subscription-based video on demand (SVOD) consumption research published between 2015 and 2024, synthesizing 128 peer-reviewed articles indexed in Web of Science and Scopus. The review maps the theoretical foundations, geographical contexts, key research characteristics, and methodological approaches that shape the field using the TCCM framework. Findings reveal that SVOD consumption research is empirically driven and predominantly Western-centric, with uses and gratifications, technology acceptance model, and cultural proximity emerging as frequently adopted theoretical perspectives. Five recurring thematic clusters are identified: algorithms and user agency; co-created promotion and audience construction; consumer preference and media substitution; the domestication and intensification of SVOD engagement; and value-expectation dynamics and consumer commitment. To strengthen the managerial and applied relevance of the review, the study complements the TCCM analysis with a 4P/4C marketing perspective, highlighting how content strategies, pricing, promotion, accessibility, and convenience jointly shape consumer value. Overall, the analysis demonstrates that SVOD consumption constitutes a hybrid media regime in which individual tastes and preferences intersect with processes of massification and transnationalization, as well as platform governance, domestication, and co-creation of value. The study contributes by offering a structured synthesis of a fragmented literature and by outlining a research agenda that integrates consumer experience, platform strategies, and regulatory concerns.