Learning Intention:
To understand the structure and implications of global media conglomerates.
What is a conglomerate?
“…a company that owns several smaller businesses whose products or services are usually very different.”
What is a monopoly?
“…the exclusive possession or control of the supply of or trade in a commodity or service.”…
Class Discussion:
Why might media monopolies be considered, ‘a bad thing’ for audiences and society?
Example Argument / Counter Argument for conglomerates… kind of like an essay plan.
Q: Is it better to have a plurality of media companies or are we content with the hegemony of the conglomerates?
The argument goes:
- Don’t conglomerates already make good quality and varied media that we all enjoy and readily consume 24/7?
- Don’t audiences have too much choice already?
- Why should anyone complain about conglomerates?
- Market forces dictate production.
Media theory time… Curran and Seaton…
… who argue that the opposite is true. (in summary)
- Whilst we have the illusion of choice and variety, media conglomerates actually narrow choice and variety
- The conglomerates are motivated by profit.
- They invest in brands and franchises, and produce what is most ‘marketable’ and ‘popular.’
- Therefore anything novel, untested, risqué, niche, local… gets side-lined in favour purely commercial concerns (profit).
Some Case Studies
Who are the big six media conglomerates?
The Music Industry
Remember the Big Three record labels, who owns them?
The details are complex, but again, the big three are owned by much larger diversified conglomerates including.
- Tencent – current partial owners of Warner Music Group
- Vivendi – Own a majority share in Universal Music Group
- Sony owns Sony Music Group
Aside: So, only one of the Big Three record labels is actually owned by one of the Big Six. It’s a tangled & complicated web of ownership, which is discussed well in the video below.
Task 1
Watch this – it’s important (although in an American context) for both ecology and regulation.
Also here is an essay plan for this media ecology question. You must listen to the video and answer the questions and then hand it in to classroom by the allotted submission date.
Why is Media Ownership Important?
The Answers…
Glossary:
*anti-trust – a legal mechanism for breaking up a monopoly into several separate smaller companies.
**net-neutrality – the idea that internet service providers (ISPs) should enable access to all content and applications regardless of the source, and without favouring or blocking particular products or websites.
The video also talks about the FCC, an American body responsible for regulating distribution, media and tech firms. Our equivalent is OFCOM (see regulation unit).