The Algorithmic Rentier: Value Extraction and the Reconfiguration of Creative Labor in the Era of Global Streaming Platforms

Abstract

Against the backdrop of the global streaming wars, the audiovisual industry is undergoing a rapid transformation towards video-on-demand (VOD) platforms. Leading streaming platforms like Netflix have built massive digital infrastructure; however, behind the industry's prosperity lies a severe distribution crisis. This paper focuses on the logic of algorithmic rent, analyzing how transnational streaming platforms systematically extract value and restructure creative labor. It adopts the political economy of communication (PEC), integrating platform capitalism and algorithmic governance theories to construct an analytical framework for algorithmic rent. Through a literature review and the case study of Squid Game, it explores how algorithmic-editorial power, and the data black box achieve institutionalized deprivation. The core research questions include how financialization weakens creators' bargaining power through global buyout contracts, and how algorithmic discipline erodes the aesthetic autonomy of creative subjects. The study argues that platforms have become digital landlords extracting economic rents rather than partners. To achieve distributive justice, this paper proposes policy intervention strategies such as strengthening local investment quotas, legislating to guarantee the right to fair compensation, and establishing third-party data auditing mechanisms.