Industries: Ownership and control blog tasks

 Media conglomerate research

1) Type up your research notes from the lesson - what did you find out about your allocated media conglomerate? Selection of companies: Alphabet, The Walt Disney Company, National Amusements, Meta, News Corp, Time Warner, Comcast. If you were absent or didn't have time in the lesson to make these notes, research any one of the companies above and find examples of all the terminology outlined in the notes at the start of this blogpost.

walt disney company 

• operates the ABC television network; cable television networks such as Disney Channel, ESPN, Freeform, FX, and National Geographic; publishing, merchandising, music, and theater divisions; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, and Hotstar
•  net worth is $207.75 billion

2) Do you agree that governments should prevent media conglomerates from becoming too dominant? Write an argument that looks at both sides of this debate.

For

 Dominant media conglomerates can control the flow of information, limiting diverse opinions and creating bias.

 A diverse and pluralistic media landscape is essential for informed citizens and democratic processes.

 Smaller, independent outlets struggle to compete, leading to reduced content variety and stifled creativity.

Regulations can ensure fair competition and protect the public from monopolistic practices.

Against

Large media companies can produce high-quality content and innovate due to their resources.

Competition, not regulation, should determine which media organizations thrive.

 Excessive oversight could lead to censorship or hinder growth and innovation.

The internet has lowered barriers for independent creators, ensuring diverse voices despite large players.

Media Magazine reading and questions

Media Magazine 52 has a good feature on the changing relationship between audiences and institutions in the digital age. Go to our Media Magazine archive, click on MM52 and scroll to page 9 to read the article 'Two Key Concepts: The Relationship Between Audience and Institution'.

1) Briefly describe the production, promotion and distribution process for media companies.

• The production process provides audiences with the media products they want. It needs to consider the audience’s desires and should provide the gratifications the audience expects.
•  The promotion process researches and identifies the target audience for the product, and uses advertising and marketing strategies to inform and persuade them of the value of the media product.
• The distribution process uses the most appropriate methods for getting the product to the audience and making it as easy as possible for them to access it.

2) What are the different funding models for media institutions?

• the BBC is funded by a licence fee and it has a public service remit, it is more likely to screen programmes with a regional interest than other broadcasters.
• ITV relies on income generated byadvertisers. This means that appealto a large audience are seen as morevaluable than ones with smallerniche audiences
• Sky One needs an income from subscribers and may well invest in programming that attracts a loyal audience, who are more likely to invest in a long term subscription to guarantee early access to the shows they enjoy.
• The MailOnline receives more income the longer a reader stays on the site, so stories will feature lots of images and videos, and sensationalised or controversial  headlines will be constructed to ‘tempt’ readers to ‘click through’.

3) What examples are provided of the new business models media companies have had to adopt due to changes in technology and distribution?

sponsorship,liscening of music

4) Re-read the section on 'The Future'. What examples are discussed of technology companies becoming major media institutions?

Technology companies such as Amazon, Facebook, Google and Yahoo are, by their very nature, at the forefront of change; they too have become ‘media institutions’

5) Do you agree with the view that traditional media institutions are struggling to survive?

yes because many fail to change or adapt to fit the new age

6) How might diversification or vertical integration help companies to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing media landscape?  it alllows them to greater meet the requirements of copanies at the time as they wont be confined to one singular image

7) How do YOU see the relationship between audience and institution in the future? Will audiences gain increasing power or will the major global media conglomerates maintain their control?

the relationship is intertwined as without audience there would be no nstitution but you cant have an audience without something to view so theyre both needed audiences are rapidly increasing in control for example the complete design change after the sonic movie released a horrible trailer.