Media Mergers and the Defence of Pluralism
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
