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Economics, Markets & Viability of Media

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Media Freedom in South Africa Today: Unravelling Multifarious Threats toward a Research and Advocacy Response

Julie Reid, Glenda. Daniels, Kate Skinner

Communicatio: South African Journal for Communication Theory and Research, volume 46, issue 3 (2020), pp. 1-19

"This article assesses the multiple factors which are barriers to media freedom in South Africa. These include crises of financial sustainability of the media sector which have recently been compounded by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic; widespread job losses in journalism; and harassment and phy ... more

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Sustainability of Professional Journalism in the Media Business Environment of the Western Balkans

Sanela Hodžic, Brankica Petkovic

European Union; TACSO 3 project; GDSI (2020), 54 pp.

"Independent media outlets in the Western Balkans are facing major challenges to their financial sustainability. With the exception of some of the largest broadcasters with national coverage and the most visited online media, the majority of media outlets across the region are not sustainable busine ... more

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Medios de comunicación: ¿al servicio de quién?

Jesus González Pazos

Buenos Aires: CLACSO (2020), 143 pp.

"Tenemos que afirmar que, en estos días, está en su casi totalidad, por lo menos cuando nos referimos a los medios de comunicación masivos; permeado y bajo el control de las élites económicas que, además, hay que recordarlo, son en su inmensa mayoría élites masculinas. Esta situación de dom ... more

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Les transformations postsoviétiques des médias et du journalisme russes

Elena Vartanova

Paris: L'Harmattan (2020), 232 pp.

"Existe-t-il un chemin particulier d’ouverture d’un système médiatique à l’économie, aussi épineux soit-il ? C’est justement le fil rouge de cette monographie, qui examine, sur la base de données empiriques et théoriques, les processus de transformation du journalisme et des médias d ... more

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The Independence of the News Media: Francophone Research on Media, Economics and Politics

Loïc Ballarini (ed.)

Cham: Palgrave Macmillan (2020), xvii, 320 pp.

"This book explores the different ways Francophone research on news media has faced the challenges of dependence and independence from three complementary perspectives. The first is economics - how can sustainable business models be developed and to what extent can crowdfunding help to maintain the ... more

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World Entertainment Media: Global, Regional and Local Perspectives

Paolo Sigismondi (ed.)

New York; London: Routledge (2020), xvi, 210 pp.

"There are still opposing and restraining forces to globalization processes taking place in media, and the global mediascape comprises international, regional and local markets, and global and local players, which in recent years have evolved at an uneven pace. By analyzing similarities and differen ... more

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Will the Palestinian Press Survive Corona Virus? The Media in Light of Corona Crisis Difficulties and Challenges

Ramallah: Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA) (2020), 33 pp.

"A quick review of the media status in Palestine indicates that the restrictions and general measures that accompanied the spread of the epidemic will lead to the suspension of many independent/private media outlets, as a result of the interruption of their main source of income, represented in the ... more

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Media and COVID-19 in West Africa: Sierra Leone

Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) (2020), 8 pp.

"Sierra Leone continues to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic through the dissemination of information across various platforms. The media have generally been supportive in providing the public with information and education about COVID-19. However, media owners and managers continue to raise concerns ... more

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Measuring Beyond Money: The Media Viability Indicators (MVIs)

Laura Moore, Ann Hollfield, Nadine Jurrat, Gerwin de Roy

Bonn: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie (2020), 7 pp.

"This paper presents a new set of indicators to assess the viability of news media at a time when the discussion about the survival of quality media is omnipresent, while systematic, fact-based strategies to tackle the problem are omni-absent. As digital transformation is sweeping through the media ... more

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Dependence of Editorial Independence, Influence of Economic Factors on News Channels in Pakistan

Ghulam Shabir, Atif Ashraf, Farasat Rasool, Qamar-uddin-Zia Ghaznavi

Journal of Business and Social Review in Emerging Economies, volume 6, issue 2 (2020), pp. 883-892

"Private news channel in Pakistan get sponsorships and commercials from state as well as from private companies to run their businesses. Selling ads may lead to sell content shaped in favor of the sponsor. This study has analyzed the influence of commercialization on editorial autonomy of broadcast ... more

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Propaganda by Proxy: Ukrainian Oligarchs, TV and Russia's Influence

Jakob Hedenskog, Mattias Hjelm

Stockholm: FOI, Swedish Defence Research Agency (2020), 4 pp.

"The issues of media ownership and Russian propaganda messaging remain an ongoing concern in Ukraine. Of the top 20 most-viewed TV channels in the country, almost all belong to the same people who top the list of Ukraine’s wealthiest oligarchs – Rinat Akhmetov, Viktor Pinchuk, Dmytro Firtash, Se ... more

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Cultural and Creative Industries Supporting Activities in Sub-Saharan Africa: Mapping and Analysis

Pedro Affonso Ivo Franco, Kimani Njogu

Stuttgart: Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa) (2020), 104 pp.

"Over the last 20 years, the power of cultural and creative industries (CCIs) as enablers and drivers of sustainable development has been broadly recognised. They are viewed as critical to social cohesion, social and economic transformation, and political stability. For this reason, it is important ... more

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Media Influence Matrix: Slovakia

Marius Dragomir

Budapest: Center for Media, Data and Society (CMDS), 2nd, updated ed. (2020), 110 pp.

"Seemingly, Slovaks have access to a wealth of news sources. In reality, though, the market is concentrated in the hands of a few large players. Powerful financial groups such as Penta Investments and J&T, and a handful of magnates including Ivan Kmotrik and Andrej Babis (who is also Czech Republic� ... ��s prime minister) exert decisive influence in the ownership of most major media companies. They are also close to politicians (if they are not themselves one), which means big leverage in regulatory affairs. The entry on the Slovak market of PPF, a Czech financial group led by another wealthy oligarch, Petr Kellner, which bought Markiza TV in 2019, is further cementing the oligarchic control in the country’s media. The Antimonopoly Office of the Slovak Republic known as PMU is much responsible for the shape of the Slovak media market. It has been the PMU that approved a spate of merger cases allowing the expansion of some media owners. Decisions by the PMU in 2015-2016 allowed Penta Investments to take over several major publishers. It was one of these deals that prompted journalists from the daily Sme (acquired by Penta) to leave and set up DennikN. Civil society exerts little influence. International groups are not effective either. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), a Vienna-based intergovernmental group, has some political leverage, but that does not materialize in any earth-shattering policy changes or palpable improvements for journalists. For example, in early March 2018, Harlem Desir, the head of media at OSCE, called on Slovak authorities in a meeting in Bratislava to investigate the killing by unknown assaulters in February 2018 of the Slovak investigative journalist Jan Kuciak. Instead, two months later, Slovak police began to harass Pavla Holcova, a Slovak journalist who was trying to help with the police investigation. It was only after massive pressures from citizens and journalism groups from abroad that four people were finally charged in October 2019 over Kuciak’s killing. Besides regulation, tightly controlled by authorities and highly politicized, the government plays also a direct role in the Slovak media market. Funding from license fees collected from all Slovak households and state budget makes the public broadcaster RTVS the largest player in the country’s media with a budget in excess of €115m. That is not necessarily bad. For some years, the Slovak public got its money’s worth. The station earned a feather in its cap for improved programming." (Key findings, pages 6-7) more

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Myanmar Media's Response to COVID-19

Thal Nyein Thu, Jane Madlyn McElhone, Tessa Piper (eds.)

New York: Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) (2020), 41 pp.

"In June 2020, MDIF conducted a survey of 36 Myanmar media outlets to gather information about the impact of COVID-19 on their businesses between March and May. They represent a mix of national media, as well as local media from the ethnic states and regions. Their operations are of various sizes: t ... hree media have 70-150 staff, 7 have 20-69, and 26 have 1-19. All the media surveyed felt the impact of COVID-19 almost immediately. Not surprisingly, as this has generally been the experience of media worldwide, commercial revenue decline was often dramatic: half of the survey respondents reported more than a 75% drop in income. Thirty-two of the 36 respondents had advertising revenue prior to the start of the pandemic, and all of them reported that it was negatively affected. All 19 media with print products were obliged to either reduce or even halt production. In response to collapsing revenues, 31 of the 36 survey respondents instituted spending cuts between March and May including, in some cases, cutting salaries and staff. Even as they reeled from the economic impact, Myanmar media also had to adapt their working environments. All the media surveyed quickly instituted work from home practices or else established social distancing in their offices and provided protective equipment for their staff. At the same time, more than half of the media reported having to contend with safety and security challenges. These came in the form of restrictions on movement, websites being blocked, on and offline surveillance, staff harassment and arrests. In common with media in other countries, one bright spot in this bleak picture has been audience growth. MDIF’s survey found that almost all media saw both their digital audiences, and audience engagement, increase. This had a positive knock-on effect for the media, with 30 respondents reporting that during this period they were able to strengthen their digital skills and knowledge due to the increased focus on their online content. The good news that 21 of the 31 respondents that sought emergency funding during the survey period obtained it, is tempered by the reality that the impact of COVID-19 has been deep and will be long lasting. The future for media in Myanmar is precarious." (Introduction) more

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Media Influence Matrix: India. Funding Journalism

Vibodh Parthasarathi, Simran Agarwal

Budapest: Center for Media, Data and Society (CMDS) (2020), 40 pp.

"The largest players in terms of funding spent in the media are commercial advertisers. In 2018 advertising contributed €7.8bn to the media funding in India, an annual growth rate of 11.5%. Advertising makes the largest cut in the operating revenues of the news media. Subscription revenue does not ... bring in enough. The biggest advertising sectors across all news mediums include fast moving consumer groups (FMCG), services, automobiles, and banking and finance. Top advertisers include both domestic and international players such as Hindustan Unilever, Reckitt Benckiser, Amazon Online, Paytm, and Maruti Suzuki. In 2016-17, the advertising sector experienced a slump due to the implementation of the currency demonetization policy. However, multiple sports events, national elections in May 2019, and a significant contribution from political advertisements, from both regional and national political parties, boosted the sector’s revenue in 2017-18. Two large investors in the Indian news media include Mukesh Ambani and Subhash Chandra. Media is not their primary business. They run Reliance Group and Essel Group of industries, respectively, which are spread across a myriad of industries including petroleum, refineries, telecom, chemicals, textiles, packaging, oil and gas, precious metals, retail, infrastructure, digital services, to name just a few. Ambani ventured into broadcasting in 2011 when he took complete control over the Eenadu TV (ETV) network, broadcasting in numerous regional languages. In 2014, the Reliance group gained control of one of India’s largest news and entertainment television networks, Network 18. This included taking over of Network 18 Media and Investments Ltd and its subsidiaries TV 18 and Viacom 18 (a joint venture between TV 18 and ViacomCBS in India) in a €513mn deal. In 2016, he also started what has become one of India’s three largest mobile operators, Reliance Jio. Such vertical expansion was furthered in 2019 when he entered the television distribution segment by acquiring a majority stake in two of the three largest cable companies in India, DEN Networks and Hathway for €661m. Chandra, an MP, owns the Essel Group which runs one of India’s oldest and largest television networks with 14 news channels across eight language markets, operated by the Zee Media Corporation Limited, besides 35 entertainment channels across 19 languages, operated by Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited. This conglomerate is also vertically integrated through its subsidiaries in Direct-to-Home (DTH) and Cable distribution, Dish TV India Limited and Siti Networks Limited respectively, and horizontally integrated through its subsidiaries in print and film production, Diligent Media Corporation Ltd and Zee Studios, respectively. Politicians and their affiliates are major players in the regional news media. The Sun Group in the state of Tamil Nadu is owned by Kalanithi Maran, nephew of former chief minister of Tamil Nadu, M. Karunanidhi, and brother of current MP Dayanidhi Maran. The Sun conglomerate owns 33 television channels across six languages, 67 FM radio stations, three daily newspapers and numerous other publications. Also, vertically integrated, it owns Sun Direct, one of the largest DTH operators, and Sumangali Cable Vision, a prominent regional cable network. Similarly, in the state of Orissa, the Panda Family runs the Odisha Television Limited, cable networks through Ortel, and digital news assets. Baijayant Panda is a former MP, currently a member of the ruling party, Bharatiya Janata Party." (Executive summary, pages 4-5) more

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Media Independence and Sustainability

Mira Milosevic

Global Conference for Media Freedom, November 16, 2020 (2020), 6 pp.

"Without new public funding, regulation of digital markets, and international support systems for non-profit media, independent professional journalism is in danger of becoming an expensive luxury rather than a universal public good. The press freedom and media development communities have joined jo ... more

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Media Development and Sustainability in West Africa: A Study on Media Audience Mapping and Targeting Techniques, Capacity Building Models & Ownership Patterns in West Africa
Deep Insights

Accra: Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA); Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) (2020), ii, 70 pp.

"Media Audience Mapping & Targeting Techniques in West Africa: 1. Audience measurement and ratings culture: The culture of audience measurement and ratings is still very rudimentary in much of West Africa. Within the current media milieu, where new technologies are yielding new forms of content and ... more

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Resources of Hope? Creative Economy and Development in the Global South

Justin O'Connor

Stuttgart: Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (ifa) (2019), 12 pp.

"This paper sets out to challenge the dominant narrative of the creative economy as a new option for developing countries. The much-vaunted growth rates proclaimed by UNCTAD’s Creative Economy Programme have slowed, and are seen to apply to a particular kind of manufactured good, as well as being ... more

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More Than Money: Rethinking Media Viability in the Digital Age

Peter Deselaers, Kyle James, Roula Mikhael, Laura Schneider

Bonn: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie (2019), 11 pp.

"Media viability challenges will not be solved at the individual outlet level. Rather, it is necessary to bring different stakeholders together to look at the bigger picture and assess the health of a country or a region’s media ecosystem. Then, partners can strategically plan projects that contri ... more

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Token Transformation? A Critical Political Economy of the Media Analysis of Ownership and Content Diversity in South Africa's Print Media

Prinola Govenden

Johannesburg: University of the Witwatersrand (2019), 304 pp.

Media Development and Sustainability in West Africa: A Study on Media Audience Mapping and Targeting Techniques, Capacity Building Models & Ownership Patterns in West Africa Deep Insights

Media Development and Sustainability in West Africa: A Study on Media Audience Mapping and Targeting Techniques, Capacity Building Models & Ownership Patterns in West Africa
Deep Insights