Media Ownership; The Economics and Politics of Convergence and Concentration in the UK and European Media

by Gillian Doyle

• ISBN13: 9780761966814
• ISBN10: 0761966811
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-07-09
• Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd

Summary

The digital revolution is transforming media and communications industries worldwide, and media companies are keen to emerge at the forefront of an increasingly transnational and competitive communications marketplace. However, the volume and scale of mergers and alliances involving media players has raised considerable challenges for regulators and state authorities alike. Media Ownership: Investigates the commercial and strategic advantages of consolidation and cross-media expansion Examines the socio-political and cultural implications of media concentration Analyzes how policy makers have responded to media concentration and convergence Assesses the relationship between media ownership and economic performance Looks at the balance of power between politicians and media owners This book offers an up-to-date and timely critical overview of the contemporary media environment, as such it will be an essential text for all those with an interest in media economics, media policy, media law and management.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	viii
Introduction	1	(8)
Why are media firms expanding?	2	(4)
Why study media concentrations?	6	(1)
Layout of the book	7	(2)
PART I WHY DOES OWNERSHIP OF THE MEDIA MATTER?	9	(34)
Media Concentrations and Pluralism	11	(19)
What is pluralism?	11	(2)
Concentrated media ownership and pluralism	13	(1)
Determinants of media pluralism	14	(12)
Size/wealth of market	15	(3)
Diversity of suppliers	18	(4)
Consolidation of resources	22	(2)
Diversity of output	24	(2)
Implications for public policy	26	(4)
Industrial and Economic Policy Aims	30	(13)
Promoting competition	32	(3)
Monopolies and technological change	35	(2)
Promoting efficiency	37	(4)
Implications for public policy	41	(2)
PART II ECONOMICS OF MEDIA CONCENTRATIONS	43	(40)
Monomedia Expansion	45	(21)
Television broadcasting	48	(4)
Television programme production	52	(4)
Radio broadcasting	56	(2)
Newspaper publishing	58	(3)
Monomedia expansion and economic performance	61	(5)
Cross-Media Expansion	66	(17)
Diagonal growth	68	(4)
Vertical integration	72	(5)
Convergence, cross-media expansion and economic performance	77	(6)
PART III MEDIA OWNERSHIP POLICY: THE UK CASE	83	(56)
The Development of Regulation and Policy	85	(19)
Evolution of UK media ownership policy	85	(3)
The cross-media ownership review, 1994-95	88	(7)
The 1995 Green Paper on media ownership	95	(5)
The 1996 Broadcasting Act: the main provisions	100	(4)
The 1996 Broadcasting Act: an Analysis	104	(18)
Socio-political agenda	105	(6)
Safeguarding pluralism	105	(3)
Securing effective and equitable constraints	108	(3)
Economic agenda	111	(8)
Competition in domestic media markets	111	(2)
Promoting economic efficiency	113	(5)
Encouraging international competitiveness	118	(1)
The unstated agenda	119	(3)
A New Future for Communications?	122	(17)
Competition report on ITV mergers, 2000	125	(5)
White Paper on communications	130	(6)
Back to the future	136	(3)
PART IV MEDIA OWNERSHIP POLICY IN EUROPE	139	(41)
Trends and Policy Responses across Europe	141	(13)
Media ownership trends in Europe	142	(4)
Implications for pluralism	146	(2)
Policies on media ownership and pluralism in Europe	148	(6)
Towards a Harmonized EU Policy Initiative?	154	(17)
Ownership policy and EU law: a question of competence?	154	(2)
Competing policy objectives: a dilemma for the Commission	156	(6)
Towards an EU Directive	162	(4)
Draft proposals for a `media pluralism' Directive (1996) Draft proposals for a `media ownership' Directive (1997)	164	(2)
Farewell pluralism; long live competition policy!	166	(5)
Conclusions	171	(9)
Ownership of the media matters	171	(2)
Media are especially vulnerable to concentrations	173	(3)
Systemic problems with existing mechanisms for curbing ownership	176	(1)
Media ownership regulation in the future	177	(3)
References	180	(9)
Index	189