Fighting against giants: Insights from the rise and fall of VoD platforms in Brazil

This article examines the dynamics of domestic video-on-demand (VoD) platforms in Brazil. While global streaming giants increasingly dominate the market, local platforms continue to emerge in response to specific cultural and economic contexts. Building on sectoral data and a qualitative case study, the paper analyses the strategies adopted by a local service called Filme Filme, seeking to compete with global players through curation, audience engagement and innovative features such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and gamification. Despite these efforts, Filme Filme ultimately ceased operations after four years of its launch, revealing the structural barriers that constrain the growth of domestic platforms in highly concentrated markets. By situating this case within the broader debate on platformization and the industrial organization of cultural industries, the study offers insight into the challenges of sustaining local streaming initiatives in emerging economies and discusses implications for public policy aimed at promoting digital sovereignty and cultural diversity.