The influence of Netflix and Co. on the German cinema market

The internet has not only changed how people interact socially in general but it has also influenced how we consume goods. Today video-on-demand providers offer us a wide range of films at our fingertips. The VoD provider that most strongly encourages people to spend their free time at home on the sofa watching series and films is clearly Netflix. However what began as an alternative to buying or renting DVDs can now be seen as competition within the primary exploitation window (TV/cinema) due to the growing range of so-called original content. The aim of this thesis was to investigate the extent to which Netflix has influenced or could influence the German cinema market in the future taking into account the online usage of 14- to 29-year-olds and the increasing technical possibilities in the home entertainment sector. To this end research was conducted with a view to the emergence of cinema and its market focusing on the possible consequences for cinema operators and the entire film distribution chain.