Patterns of media ownership

Question 1

What percentage of newspapers does Rupert Murdoch own?

Answer 1

• Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers make up about 32% of all national daily newspaper sales in the UK.

Question 2

What does Bagdikan suggest the features of media ownership are?

Answer 2

• Concentration of ownership
• Vertical integration
• Horizontal integration/cross media ownership
• Global ownership
• Conglomeration and diversification
• Global conglomeration
• Synergy
• Technological convergence

Question 3

What is concentration of ownership?

Answer 3

• Most of the media of all kinds are concentrated in the hands of a few very large companies.

Question 4

What is vertical integration?

Answer 4

• There is concentration of ownership within a single type of media, such as one company owning all stages in the production and distribution of a media product, e.g. Time Warner makes its own films and distributes them to its own cinemas.

Question 5

What is horizontal integration/cross media ownership?

Answer 5

• This is where some media companies own a range of media, e.g. newspapers, satellite television etc.

Question 6

What is global ownership?

Answer 6

• Media ownership is international with owners having interests in many different countries around the world.

Question 7

What is conglomeration and diversification?

Answer 7

• Media companies are often part of huge conglomerates.
• These are companies that have a diverse range of interests in a wide variety of products besides the media.

Question 8

What is global conglomeration?

Answer 8

• This is a combination of global ownership and conglomeration.
• Conglomerates that media companies are part of are often also global conglomerates.

Question 9

What is synergy?

Answer 9

• This is when media companies produce, promote and sell a product in a variety of forms, either through different parts of the same company or through collaboration with different companies.
  –> Promotes greater sales of that product.
  E.g. Harry Potter

Question 10

What is technological convergence?

Answer 10

• This is when media companies try to maximise sales of their products by making them available in a variety of formats which can be accessed on a single device.