Industries: Ownership and control

 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.

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.

I agree that governments should prevent media conglomerates from becoming too dominant because it would lead to audiences consuming likely biased media texts, which is bad because it removes the consumer's choice. However, it could be unfair to not let a media conglomerate become too dominant if they have worked hard for their position.

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?

ITV relies on income generated by advertisers. This means that appeal to a large audience are seen as more valuable than ones with smaller niche 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.

3) The article gives a lot of examples of major media brands and companies. Choose three examples from the article and summarise what the writer is saying about each of them. 

-Disney is known as a family-friendly brand that focuses on children’s entertainment. It has built on its original reputation for animation, created early in the 20th century, through the construction of a ‘universe’ of merchandising and branded products, including Disneyland and the Disney Princess franchise.

-Marvel is inextricably associated with the superhero genre as the film production studio developed from its hugely popular original comic book publications. Marvel superhero films may well contain lots of violence; but they will also reinforce mainstream values around duty, sacrifice, personal responsibility and the need for the strong to protect the weak.

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

-The music industry can no longer generate most of its profits through the sale of music itself, so other ways to make money have been sought. Sponsorship, merchandising, and the income generated by live shows are some of the ways it seeks to recoup its investment.

-The movie industry has invested enormous sums of money into 3D technology, in order to encourage audiences into cinemas.

-The BBC is reconsidering its funding structure now on-demand viewing is becoming more popular.

-Some online newspapers now require audiences to subscribe to access their content or provide premium content

to those who pay for mobile apps.

5) 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.

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

I agree that traditional media institutions are struggling to survive in comparison to newer media institutions in the digital age but they can keep surviving if they adapt and grow like newspapers being available online through subscription. 

7) How might diversification or vertical integration help companies to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing media landscape? 

It helps to broaden their reach to an audience and gain money from each part of the production to distribution process.

8) 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?

I think the major conglomerates will likely maintain control for a while unless their is changes to the law, but I think audiences are going to gain slightly more control than they do now.