Imitation of Business Models: The Case of Online News Industry in France

PRE-RELEASED ARTICLE

Inna Lyubareva, Fabrice Rochelandet, Imad El Badisy

Inna Lyubareva is Professor in Digital Economics at IMT Atlantique, LEGO laboratory. Her interdisciplinary research explores the technological and socio-economic challenges posed by digital innovations in the cultural and media industries
Fabrice Rochelandet (Ph.D in economics, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne) is a Professor of Communica­tion Science at Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, France. His main fields of research are the economics of creative industries, creative cities and the regulation of digital economics. He has published in the areas of copyright and privacy regulations, cultural diversity and digital platforms, online press and business models.
Imad El Badisy is a Research Engineer and Health Data Scientist at the Mohammed VI Center for Research and Innovation in Rabat, Morocco. He specializes in developing open statistical software, with expertise in statistical methodology and machine learning.

ABSTRACT
In the rapidly evolving landscape of online business models within the news industry, the phenomenon of business model imitation has emerged as a prominent yet understudied aspect. This paper investigates the forms and implications of strategic imitation on competition dynamics and economic sustainability, focusing on French news producers from 2015 to 2020. Leveraging an extensive original dataset and methodology, our findings reveal a prevalent trend of imitation, particularly driven by rivalry-based dynamics. However, this copycat strategy poses long-term risks to industry performance and societal systems. To ensure economic viability and foster innovation, industry stakeholders must prioritize the development of original and forward-thinking strategies in response to the challenges posed by imitation.
KEYWORDS
Imitation; innovation; online business models; news industry; competition