网络外部性下分级和统一定价对内容原创投资的影响研究

doi:10.16381/j.cnki.issn1003-207x.2024.0822

Abstract

Abstract:

Driven by the escalating costs of content acquisition and the intensification of platform competition， the optimal strategic alignment between pricing structures and original content investment is explored. A game-theoretical model is developed for a video platform operating in a two-sided market， comparing two prevalent pricing regimes： Uniform Pricing （UP） and Tiered Pricing （TP）. By incorporating user ad-aversion and network externalities， the platform’s incentive is analyzed to invest in original content and identifies the boundary conditions for investment feasibility.The findings reveal that the impact of investment on user scale depends on a dynamic trade-off between the quality-driven attraction of high-value users and the price-driven loss of ad-sensitive users. Specifically， user ad-aversion is identified as a pivotal threshold： in environments without network externalities， UP provides higher investment feasibility when ad-aversion is low due to maximized ad reach， whereas TP excels in high ad-aversion markets through precise value capture via market segmentation. Crucially， it is found that network externalities fundamentally reconstruct this decision logic. In markets with strong network effects， UP’s “scale-anchoring advantage” can outweigh the benefits of TP， maintaining investment feasibility even in high ad-aversion scenarios by preventing user fragmentation.Furthermore， the influence of network externalities exhibits significant mode-dependence： it shows an inverted U-shaped relationship with investment feasibility under UP， but a monotonic inhibitory effect under TP. These results suggest that for platforms with strong ecosystem attributes， a unified pricing structure may be more conducive to sustainable content investment than complex tiered menus. A theoretical framework is provided for video platforms to synchronize pricing and investment strategies， offering strategic guidance for enhancing commercial sustainability in the digital era.

Key words: video platform, network externalities, original investment, ad-aversion, tiered pricing

CLC Number:

F274

Qirui Zhu,Qiang Guo,Jiajia Nie, et al. The Impact of Tiered vs. Uniform Pricing on Original Content Investment under Network Externalities[J]. Chinese Journal of Management Science, 2026, 34(11): 108-119.

Figures/Tables 13

模式	视频平台	内容供应商
UN	$π P U N = p i - w + f q l + q h$	$π S U N = w q l + q h$
UI	$π P U I = p i - w + f q l + q h - F$	$π S U I = w q l + q h$

模式	视频平台	内容供应商
TN	$π P T N = p l q l + p h q h + m q l - w q l + q h$	$π S T N = w q l + q h$
TI	$π P T I = p l q l + p h q h + m q l - w q l + q h - F$	$π S T I = w q l + q h$

符号	描述
$b h, b l$	$H$ 型、 $L$ 型消费者的广告敏感性系数
$v$	消费者基本效用（服从 $0,1$ 均匀分布）
$α$	网络外部性强度系数
$q h, q l$	$H / L$ 型用户数量
$δ$	平台原创内容水平
$A$	广告数量
$p i γ$	订阅价格
$w$	平台外购内容的单位成本
$m$	广告商对触达每位消费者的估值
$f$	广告商支付的单位印象费
$F$	投资成本
$g$	$L$ 型用户比例
$β$	投资削弱的广告厌恶程度
$π ξ γ η τ$	利润
$Ω$	$m, α ∈ Ω$
$ψ$	$g, m, α ∈ ψ$
$φ$	$β, m, α ∈ φ$

参数	$U N O$	$U I O$	$T N O$	$T I O$
$w$	$2 - b h + 2 m 4$	$2 + 2 δ - b h + 2 m 4$	$2 + m 4$	$2 + m + 2 δ 4$
$p l$	$6 - 3 b h - 2 m 8$	$6 + 6 δ - 3 b h - 2 m 8$	$6 - 3 m 8$	$6 + 6 δ - 3 m 8$
$p h$	$6 - 3 b h - 2 m 8$	$6 + 6 δ - 3 b h - 2 m 8$	$6 + m 8$	$6 + 6 δ + m 8$
$q l$	$2 + 3 b h + 2 m 16$	$2 + 2 δ + 3 b h + 2 m 16 + 16 δ$	$2 + 3 m 16$	$2 + 2 δ + 3 m 16 + 16 δ$
$q h$	$2 - 5 b h + 2 m 16$	$2 + 2 δ - 5 b h + 2 m 16 + 16 δ$	$2 - m 16$	$2 + 2 δ - m 16 + 16 δ$
$π P$	$(- 2 + b h - 2 m) 2 64$	$(- 2 - 2 δ + b h - 2 m) 2 64 + 64 δ - F$	$5 m 2 + 4 m + 4 64$	$4 δ 2 + 4 m + 8 δ + 5 m 2 + 4 m + 4 64 + 64 δ - F$
$π S$	$(- 2 + b h - 2 m) 2 32$	$(- 2 - 2 δ + b h - 2 m) 2 32$	$(2 + m) 2 32$	$(2 + 2 δ + m) 2 32 + 32 δ$

参数	$U N E$	$U I E$	$T N E$	$T I E$
$w$	$2 - b h + 2 m 4$	$2 + 2 δ - b h + 2 m 4$	$2 + m 4$	$2 + m + 2 δ 4$
$p l$	$6 - 3 b h - 2 m 8$	$6 + 6 δ - 3 b h - 2 m 8$	$6 - 3 m 8$	$6 + 6 δ - 3 m 8$
$p h$	$6 - 3 b h - 2 m 8$	$6 + 6 δ - 3 b h - 2 m 8$	$6 + m 8$	$6 + 6 δ + m 8$
$q l$	$2 + 3 b h + 2 m 16 - 16 α$	$2 + 2 δ + 3 b h + 2 m 16 + 16 δ - 16 α$	$2 + 3 m 16 - 16 α$	$2 + 2 δ + 3 m 16 + 16 δ - 16 α$
$q h$	$2 - 5 b h + 2 m 16 - 16 α$	$2 + 2 δ - 5 b h + 2 m 16 + 16 δ - 16 α$	$2 - m 16 - 16 α$	$2 + 2 δ - m 16 + 16 δ - 16 α$
$π P$	$(- 2 + b h - 2 m) 2 64 - 64 α$	$(- 2 - 2 δ + b h - 2 m) 2 64 + 64 δ - 64 α - F$	$5 m 2 + 4 m + 4 64 - 64 α$	$4 δ 2 + 4 m + 8 δ + 5 m 2 + 4 m + 4 64 + 64 δ - 64 α - F$
$π S$	$(- 2 + b h - 2 m) 2 32 - 32 α$	$(- 2 - 2 δ + b h - 2 m) 2 32 + 32 δ - 32 α$	$(2 + m) 2 32 - 32 α$	$(2 + 2 δ + m) 2 32 + 32 δ - 32 α$

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The Impact of Tiered vs. Uniform Pricing on Original Content Investment under Network Externalities

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