Competition in the media sector – how long can the future be delayed?

Abstract

Purpose

To demonstrate that the media sector is moving towards a new organization of the sector. Inevitably a larger role will fall to competition law and competition law considerations.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper identifies major trends and demonstrates evolving competition principles in the European Union (EU) media sector by discussing selected recent EU case decisions.

Findings

Recent cases in the application of EU competition rules in the European media sector evolve around three central themes, all of them essential for moving the sector forward into the transition towards the new media world: unbundling of content and platform, in order to open the market for newcomers; allowing for restructuring, subject to sufficient market opening; and fair competition between public and private broadcasting, in order to prevent the strangling effects that public subsidies can have, while safeguarding public value in the sector.

Originality/value

The application of EU competition rules – merger control, antitrust, state aid control – is a major strand of EU policies in addressing the transition and digital switchover in the European media sector. Any valid research and policy making in the sector will have to take this into account and the paper draws attention to this.

Citation

Ungerer, H. (2005), "Competition in the media sector – how long can the future be delayed?", info, Vol. 7 No. 5, pp. 52-60. https://doi.org/10.1108/14636690510618284