Media Mergers and the Defence of Pluralism

Stefan Melesko, Sune Tjernström, Olof Hultén (Eds.)
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Media mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have been, and continue to be, a salient feature of Nordic media markets. What once was a very fragmented and diverse industry is today consolidated to such a degree that many fear for the effects on pluralism. Internet is today the turbo charger of this process.

Media operate on a commercial market and have to survive on its terms. On the other hand, as purveyors of information and ideas, they are different from manufactured goods and services. The book springs out of this duality.

The book presents research of Nordic scholars who gathered at Kalmar University in March, 2008 to discuss consolidation, mergers and acquisitions in the music, newspaper and television industries. Cases from Finland, Norway, Germany and Sweden cast light on the pros and cons of mergers and as well as regulatory perspectives to defend pluralism.

 

Content

Foreword

Introduction: The Challenge of New Technologies and New Business Practices
Olof Hultén, Sune Tjernström, Stefan Melesko

Motives and Boundary Conditions of Mergers and Acquisitions in Media. A Nordic Perspective
Lotta Häkkinen, Niina Nummela, Saara L Taalas

Motives for Mergers and Acquisitions in the Swedish Regional Press. Case: The Sale of the Center Party Press
Stefan Melesko

Bloc-building in the Swedish Newspaper Industry Since its Beginnings
Karl Erik Gustafsson

Acquisition Strategies in the Multinational Recording Industry
Patrik Wikström

Regulatory Intervention to Prevent Ownership Concentration in the Norwegian Newspaper Market. Case: Media Norge Inc.
Rolf Høyer

Newspaper Acquisitions and Swedish Media Policy. The Past, The Present and The Future
Mart Ots

Instruments for Press Policy in The Netherlands
Lou Lichtenberg

The Proposed Acquisition of ProSiebenSat.1 by Springer AG in 2005
Olof Hultén, Sune Tjernström

A Pragmatic Approach to Government Intervention. The Case of Swedish TV4
Sune Tjernström

The Balance of Power in Nordic Media. A Model in Decay?
Jens Cavallin

A Second Opinion on Concentration
Karl Erik Gustafsson

The Contributors

 

Book cover: Media Mergers and the Defence of Pluralism

Information

Published:
Pages: 214
ISBN print
978-91-86523-07-7
Format:  
PDF