duopoly

Noun

duopoly (countable and uncountable, plural duopolies)

1. An economic condition in which two sellers exert most control over the market of a commodity.
   • Modern examples of duopoly include the American markets for credit cards (Visa and MasterCard), smartphones (Apple and Google), soft drinks (Coca-Cola and Pepsi), and airplanes (Airbus and Boeing).
2. (broadly) The domination of a field of endeavour by two entities or people.
   • In 2011, his spirit and body were shattered by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-finals. Last night, the stakes were just as high – even though the tournament is not out of the first week – because there is a creeping perception that the [Roger] Federer–[Rafael] Nadal duopoly is slowly giving way...2012 June 29, Kevin Mitchell, “Roger Federer back from Wimbledon 2012 brink to beat Julien Benneteau”, in Alan Rusbridger, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived...
   • In Spain, Socialist and PP governments have alternated since the 1980s. This cosy duopoly was weakened by the long recession that followed the bursting of Spain’s housing bubble in 2007.2018 February 10, “Spain’s centrist Ciudadanos are on the march”, in The Economist, London: Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 17 May 2018
3. (broadly) A situation in which two or more radio or television stations in the same city or community share common ownership.

   Synonyms:

   twinstick