In this article we will analyse Fininvest/Mediaset's strategies in the media sector from its foundation to the present, considering four variables: politics, the market, technology and society. In particular, we will try to establish if, and to what extent, these four factors have affected and, in turn, have been affected by the company's strategies.Our interest in studying Mediaset stems from the pivotal role the company plays in the Italian television and media sector. Indeed, according to European Audiovisual Observatory sources (2006: 8), Mediaset is now the leading Italian media enterprise and ranks 17th in the world, registering a turnover of €3397 million. Its core business is commercial television but, as we will see, in recent years it has continued to branch out and expand. First, it focused on the internet, then on digital terrestrial TV and, finally, on mobile TV.The key role that Mediaset now plays in the communications industry has spurred us to investigate the history of the group from its origins for two reasons. First, to discover whether, and if so which of the company's current distinctive characteristics have distant origins. Second, to attempt to identify a guiding thread in Fininvest/Mediaset's strategies, accompanying its success and favouring its presence in the Italian media market for over 30 years.Even if a number of primary sources were used, the truly innovative element of this research is its multi-target approach. We have avoided focusing solely on one aspect of the group's history and, instead, have tried to set the entire history of Fininvest/Mediaset within a broader framework, encompassing political, economic, technological and social considerations (Richeri, 2006).

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Keeping in mind recent industry trends such as digitalization and audience fragmentation, we would like to examine the transformation of television companies in the new digital context. Specifically, we would like to compare two leading audiovisual companies in Italy and Spain, Mediaset and Antena 3, highlighting how their multiplatform strategies have impacted the core business. Historically, they have both been important players in the audiovisual market, not only in their own countries but in the international scenario as well. An exploratory investigation, based on analysis of reports and financial statements for these audiovisual companies, and interviews with the key executives to contrast the information, was carried out during 2010 and 2012.

The digital transformation of the broadcasting industry forces public service broadcasting (PSB) companies to restructure and rethink their offerings. Characteristic today is a keener attention to the preferences and behaviours of audiences, and the importance of the link between the concept of public service and the role of audience participation. PSB companies are engaged in a reconsideration of their audiences. This article discusses the central role of the audience in the transformation from PSB to public service media (PSM), connecting (1) what has been done by PSM companies to grasp opportunities of digitalization to increase their offerings and (2) the public response to these strategies, analysing the consumption of PSM. The article considers two companies as cases: Rai in Italy, a large country and SRG SSR in Switzerland, a small country. Italy and Switzerland differ in the size and structure of their television markets. The market structure, the television distribution systems and the funding schema of the PSM companies analysed have influenced the development of strategies adopted by these companies and also audience responses. Empirical research is based on analysis of relevant policy documents, the case companies’ offerings, interviews with the firms’ operators, and audiences and users data.

/ The television programming and production quotas introduced in 1989 by the European Directive `Television without Frontiers' were intended to improve the European audiovisual industry and to protect European culture. Nearly two decades since the implementation of these regulations, one may ask what effects they have had. This article addresses this question by analysing the challenges entailed in the European quotas for broadcasters from different European countries. The analysis is based on the assumption that television broadcasters are organizations with specific structures. On the one hand, they can react to quotas by relying only on their existing structures (e.g. planning practices or the availability of specific organizational divisions); on the other hand, quotas may affect these structures and change some features of media organizations. These dynamics engender unexpected side-effects that cannot be neglected when evaluating the success of quota requirements.