< Back Dubbing wars: localisation strategies of transnational streaming services for Spanish ‘original’ works Gallo, P., & Iordache, C. (2026). Dubbing wars: localisation strategies of transnational streaming services for Spanish ‘original’ works. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies , 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856526141627 This research investigates the intricate process of localising subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services on a transnational scale, with a specific focus on the translation of Spanish ‘original’ and ‘exclusive’ works of Netflix and Prime Video. As SVOD companies expand their services internationally, the necessity of adapting to diverse national markets becomes paramount. Language emerges as a pivotal factor in this process: audiovisual works must provide adequate subtitling and dubbing options to address the diverse linguistic nuances of international audiences. The research aims to analyse the language localisation strategies for Spanish works in transnational SVOD services, by examining the dubbing and subtitling options offered. The article provides a mapping of the strategies and partners adopted by these companies focussing on a sample of local works. Additionally, by collecting data from the two SVOD services and through interviews with dubbing studios, the research analyses mergers, acquisitions and power relations between dubbing companies, as well as the impact on competition generated by transnational streaming services. Both Netflix and Amazon have increasingly added more language options for content offerings as part of their internationalisation, which has favoured the proliferation of a specific type of company and business model in the dubbing sector. This consists of transnational corporations that have provided localisation services in the wake of the internationalisation of streamers, and that have managed to keep up with the demands through mergers and acquisitions with studios in foreign countries. Platforms Previous Read the article Next

< Back The platformization of Public Service Media. A comparative analysis of five BVOD services in Western and Northern Europe Iordache, C., & Raats, T. (2023). The platformization of Public Service Media. A comparative analysis of five BVOD services in Western and Northern Europe. International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics , 19 (1), 3-22. https://doi.org/10.1386/macp_00070_1 Recent developments in the media industries have signalled the need for public service media (PSM) organizations to reposition themselves in order to reach audiences, and also secure financial sustainability and programming rights. In repositioning themselves, PSM have increasingly embraced some of the core characteristics of platforms by developing a central video-on-demand (VOD) service as portal to PSM services, investing in exclusive content and using data to create richer user experiences and gain insights into audience practices. However, this ‘platformization’ process comes with both challenges and opportunities to reach the public service remit. This article conducts an analysis of the on-demand portals of PSM, to uncover how platformization is reshaping the PSM core remit and values, and how these are transposed in online services and offerings. The research employs a comparative case study analysis of five VOD services of PSM in Western and Northern Europe: Belgium-Flanders (VRT.NU), BelgiumWallonia (RTBF Auvio), Finland (Yle Areena), Ireland (RTÉ Player) and Norway (NRK TV). The results discuss three main categories: interfaces and features, strategies for catalogue and content curation, and tools for discoverability and prominence. Platforms, Public Service Media Previous Read the article Next

< Back 20 Jun 2024 Preliminary findings of Pieter's case study: The digital-first strategy of VRT In the span of a month, Pieter Van der Elst got to present his PhD work-in-progress at two different international conferences. First, he participated in the RIPE conference held in Lisbon from 16 til 18 May 2024. The RIPE conference is dedicated to research on Public Service Media (PSM) for innovation and sustainability. In a paper presentation about his case study on Flemish public broadcaster VRT's digital-first audio strategy, he outlined the innovative approaches VRT has adopted to adjust their operations to the platform era media landscape. The RIPE conference brings together established and junior researchers working on the topic of Public Service Media in the digital age. A perfect match with Pieter's work to present the preliminary findings, gather valuable feedback, and have some interesting discussions. Pieter's next stop was the workshop on 'Television Strategies in an On-Demand Driven Media Culture', at the Danish Aarhus University. In the two-day gathering on 13 and 14 June 2024, Pieter presented the VRT case study to academics and industry representatives, in hopes of enriching their work on television with his learnings and take-aways on digital audio. Previous Next Presenting VRT's digital first strategy

< Back Impacts of AI on Music Consumption and Fairness Henry, A., Wiratama, V., Afilipoaie, A., Ranaivoson, H., & Arrivé, E. (2024). Impacts of AI on Music Consumption and Fairness. Emerging Media, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/27523543241269047 The algorithmic systems utilized by music streaming services have the potential to positively influence individual choices by promoting new artists, but they are also often accused of perpetuating biases. In this research note, we aim to explore the impact of these platforms’ AI-based algorithms on fairness in music consumption. To address this question, we adopt a multidimensional approach that considers the legal, economic, and algorithmic dimensions of fairness. This approach is applied to our EU Horizon Europe Fair MusE project, which advocates for a fairer music ecosystem. However, it should be noted that we propose a tool to score output (playlists) based on fairness models instead of directly altering the algorithms. Data from end users, data brokers, and open-source databases will inform the model, while the processing of the data is aimed at providing users with insights into algorithmic biases and empower them to influence the output. Acknowledging this aspect, this research note serves as a prelude to highlight the need for increased transparency and explainability of algorithms. Furthermore, we seek to inform policy interventions that promote fairness, particularly regarding data sharing between creators and platform providers. Such interventions would foster trust among stakeholders and benefit both users and businesses. Platforms Previous Read the article Next

< Back Beyond rational choice: A typology of urban discovery Binst, B., Michiels, L., & Smets, A. (2026). Beyond rational choice: A typology of urban discovery. Tourism Management , 113 , 105327. As the internet, smartphones, and review platforms transform how travelers discover urban attractions, understanding this process is critical for harnessing a sustainable urban attraction space. Yet urban discovery remains poorly understood, and existing research is fragmented. To address this gap, we adapt Leiper's tourist attraction systems framework to study urban discovery. Our grounded theory analysis on 126 interviews resulted in five distinct discovery modes: instrumental-rational, go-with-the-flow, social, flaneur, and habitual. Besides richly describing these modes, we identify personal, social, contextual, demographic, and affective factors influencing them. We illustrate how playful discovery modes—go-with-the-flow, social, and flaneur—are compatible, leading to mixed discovery modes, while the remaining modes are incompatible. These findings challenge the dominance of rational choice models by revealing a broader spectrum of discovery behaviors. They also provide a foundation for designing a more inclusive urban attraction content space and offer strategic implications for urban attraction management. Previous Read the article Next

< Back Integrating discoverability and prominence in video-on-demand consumption choices. A qualitative user study in Belgium Iordache, C., Loisen, J., & Van Audenhove, L. (2023). Integrating discoverability and prominence in video-on-demand consumption choices. A qualitative user study in Belgium. International Communication Gazette . https://doi.org/10.1177/17480485231191898 As video-on-demand services have taken a central position in audiovisual distribution in European markets, over-the-top viewing has become increasingly popular. This shift has heavily impacted consumption patterns and exposure diversity, as they are reshaped by non-linear distribution and technological affordances. This article aims to integrate debates on discoverability and prominence within wider research on video-on-demand consumption. It does so by widening the existing focus on the strategies deployed by video-on-demand services to capture users’ contexts and actions in the consumption decision-making process. The framework is based on exploratory qualitative research conducted in Belgium through a diary study and in-depth interviews and can contribute to future audience research on video-on-demand consumption choices. We find that users discover and choose audiovisual content to consume on demand through a combination of formal and informal factors. These are grouped into four thematic categories, namely technological affordances, perceived offering, external ‘nudges’, and process. Platforms Previous Read the article Next

< Back Revisioning Public Interest Media RePIM Revisioning Public Interest Media is a four-year Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) Doctoral Network dedicated to reimagining the role and future of public interest media in a data-driven, platform-dominated environment. RePIM brings together leading European universities, industry partners, and 12 Doctoral Candidates in an interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral training and research programme. The network investigates how public interest media can remain relevant, sustainable, and impactful by transforming how content is produced, packaged, distributed, and supported organisationally and technologically. Through its focus on strategic innovation, organisational change, and media management, RePIM equips its doctoral researchers with advanced analytical and managerial skills to help reshape public interest media across diverse European contexts. Radical market and societal changes challenge existing business models of public interest media, the content they create, the technical infrastructures they employ for distribution, and the governing structures which regulate and support them. The research and trained Doctoral Candidates (DCs) set out to revise the relevance of public interest media, the conditions required to sustain relevance and the ways in which they are produced, packaged, distributed, and the (infra)structures that support them. RePIM does this through a highly ambitious and advanced focus on key strategic transformations across departments, media players and different European contexts, and the managerial skills required to reconfigure public interest media in a radically changed media ecosystem. Researchers on this project Catalina Iordache Guest Professor Wendy Van den Broeck Associate professor Tim Raats Associate Professor Consortium partners VUB logo.png Schermafbeelding 2026-08-06 om 10.33_edited.png Schermafbeelding 2026-08-06 om 10.58.30.png VUB logo.png 1/8 Tags Platforms, Public Service Broadcasting Previous Next

< Back 27 Mar 2025 Findings and recommendations on the organisational and cultural challenges facing PSM in Belgium In this new policy brief Tim Raats and Cataline Iordache share results from the latest research conducted during the second year of the PSM-AP project . Their findings show that Public Service Media (PSM) organizations in Belgium, being RTBF (French-speaking) and VRT (Flemish) face growing competition from global tech giants such as Netflix, Apple, Google, and Amazon. This requires a transition into fully digital, online-first broadcasters. While both are integrating digital tools and skills, structural barriers rooted in traditional broadcasting, such as bureaucracy and departmental silos, slow down this transformation. They are adapting their commissioning and distribution strategies to better meet audience needs while maintaining their public service mission and managing brand perception. However, their digital transition differs: VRT is positioning VRT MAX as the central platform for content, whereas RTBF struggles to rebrand Auvio beyond a catch-up service, as linear TV is still dominant for reaching audiences. Their study identifies the following four key factors that shape the way in which both Belgian PSM organizations are managing the rise of internet delivery and increasing competition with international streamers: If you want to learn more about the outcomes of in-depth interviews with employees in both PSM organizations, have a look at the full policy brief here . Previous Next Policy Brief on Public Service Media in Belgium

< Back How Should We Measure Filter Bubbles? Michiels, L., Vannieuwenhuyze, J., Leysen, J., Verachtert, R., Smets, A., & Goethals, B. 2023. How Should We Measure Filter Bubbles? A Regression Model and Evidence for Online News. In Proceedings of the 17th ACM Conference on Recommender Systems. News media play an important role in democratic societies. Central to fulfilling this role is the premise that users should be exposed to diverse news. However, news recommender systems are gaining popularity on news websites, which has sparked concerns over filter bubbles. More specifically, editors, policy-makers and scholars are worried that these news recommender systems may expose users to less diverse content over time. To the best of our knowledge, this hypothesis has not been tested in a longitudinal observational study of real users that interact with a real news website. Such observational studies require the use of research methods that are robust and can account for the many covariates that may influence the diversity of recommendations at any given time. In this work, we propose an analysis model to study whether the variety of articles recommended to a user decreases over time in such an observational study design. Further, we present results from two case studies using aggregated and anonymized data that were collected by two western European news websites employing a collaborative filtering-based news recommender system to serve (personalized) recommendations to their users. Through these case studies we validate empirically that our modeling assumptions are sound and supported by the data, and that our model obtains more reliable and interpretable results than analysis methods used in prior empirical work on filter bubbles. Our case studies provide evidence of a small decrease in the topic variety of a user's recommendations in the first weeks after they sign up, but no evidence of a decrease in political variety. Recommender Systems Previous Read the article Next

< Back Dongxiao Li PhD Researcher dongxiao.li@vub.be We are surrounded by a technologically evolving media world where journalism agencies and media firms are increasingly utilizing innovative technologies like artificial intelligence(AI) to improve the production efficiency and meet our personalized requirements. For a media organization, how to use the technologies to optimize the informative value and its commercial benefits? And for the media industry, how to reach a win-win situation among the main stakeholders including the media firms, the users, the technology developers, and the government, so as to boost the social welfare? Those questions intrigued me to carry out researches on illustrating the relations between the technology, the media industry and the human at different socioeconomic dimensions by both qualitative methods like interview and case study, and quantitative approaches including survey and online data analysis. After achieving the Bachelor’s degree of Economics (Shandong University, China), I worked as an overseas engineering project manager for years in other countries like India and Malaysia, which helped me gain the ability of project management as well as the vision of inter-culture communications. Then I found my enthusiasm in media study and pursued the Master’s Degree of Communication (Tsinghua University, China) with the thesis on AI adoption in the media and creative industry. Having an educational background where economics and communication converge, I am also interested in the economic communication, especially on how the business news could be better accepted via digital technologies like AI and VR. Visit my research profile

< Back 1 Nov 2024 New report "From Value Networks for Recorded Music to Music Ecosystem" The latest report from the Fair MusE Project - "From Value Networks for Recorded Music to Music Ecosystem" - dives deep into how Music Streaming Services (MSS) and User-Generated Content (UGC) platforms are reshaping the music industry’s value landscape. This shift in the industry is about more than just a digital transformation; it's fundamentally changing how power, access, and revenue flow through the music ecosystem. A New Layer of Gatekeeping With the rise of MSS platforms like Spotify and UGC platforms like YouTube, traditional routes for accessing and promoting music have been redefined. These platforms now serve as powerful gatekeepers, determining which artists and tracks gain visibility. This influence reshapes who has control over exposure and, ultimately, success. Rather than simply distributing music, these platforms filter content through algorithms, strategically showcasing certain songs while others remain hidden, based on complex calculations that prioritize user engagement and platform profits. Navigating and negotiating the new landscape Despite the power of these platforms, traditional stakeholders, particularly major record labels, are finding ways to adapt. Labels are leveraging their vast artist rosters and music catalogues to secure valuable partnerships with MSS and UGC platforms. By doing so, they maintain a degree of influence over what listeners see and hear, reinforcing the competitive dynamics in the industry. The relationships between labels and streaming platforms can be seen as a balancing act, as both sides negotiate control, exposure, and revenue shares. A shift from value networks to a music ecosystem Approaching the music industry as an interconnected ecosystem reveals the complex interdependence between streaming and UGC platforms, labels, artists, and audiences. This ecosystem perspective helps contextualize the ongoing evolution, but it also exposes fairness concerns. For example, algorithmic curation tends to spotlight content from major labels, reinforcing their dominance. The current payout models on platforms like Spotify and YouTube often favor big players, leaving smaller artists and independent labels in a more precarious position. ➜ Full Report If these insights spark your interest, the Fair MusE report also has a systematic review of academic literature on music streaming including case studies on both Spotify and YouTube. For the full tracklist of findings and analysis, check out the complete Fair MusE report: https://fairmuse.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/D3.1_Value-Networks.pdf Previous Next New report of the Fair MusE project

< Back Lien Michiels Postdoctoral Researcher lien.michiels@vub.be Lien Michiels is a Postdoctoral Researcher at imec-SMIT, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the Adrem Data Lab in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Antwerp. Her research focuses on diversity, discovery and filter bubbles in recommender systems. Previously, she combined her PhD research with her work as a Machine Learning Engineer at Froomle , who provide their recommendation platform as a service to media companies around the globe. She obtained a master's degree in Mathematical Engineering at the KULeuven in 2017. Visit my research profile