Media policy for private media in the age of digital platforms

Abstract

Digital platforms such as Google, Facebook and Netflix have caused a watershed moment not only for markets and businesses but also for media policy. Concerns about the US-based digital platforms’ impact on national media markets have grown among European media businesses as well as policy makers. Media policy research argues that small media markets are particularly vulnerable to global players and foreign influence, but that market size must be understood also in the context of political traditions. This article investigates how digital platforms influence media policy for private media businesses in the small media systems of Norway and Flanders. Drawing on 20 qualitative interviews with CEOs and top-level media managers in these two small media markets, we ask what private media businesses expect from policy makers in light of the intensified competition from digital platforms, what experience they have with cooperating with policy makers and what explains the differences between Norway and Flanders. A key finding is that the managers in both markets want policy makers to regulate digital platforms to secure level playing field, and that the Norwegian respondents had more positive experiences with co-regulation and expressed more trust in policy makers and policy instruments, compared to the Flemish. Despite the global players and the need for transnational solutions, regional variations in policy making still matters, and might inform the discussion about how to regulate the digital platforms.

The Media Welfare State: Why such a concept, what is it used for, does it have a future?

“…However, the way the CEOs spoke about the public interest in the two markets veered towards different polarities; while Norwegian CEOs tended to point to public interest values (e.g., the duty to raise standards and educate the public as part of their rationale), the Flemish CEOs were more concerned about brand development . In a similar vein, Norwegian CEOs of private media companies were more positive and satisfied with their cooperation with policy-makers and held a more positive view of public service media than their Flemish counterparts (Enli et al, 2019). Hence, a "welfare state of mind" (Ahva et al, 2017) seems to influence CEOs of private media companies in a Norwegian setting.…”

Public service media in the age of SVoDs: A comparative study of PSM strategic responses in Flanders, Italy and the UK

“…BBC). Typically, comparatively well-funded organizations with lower levels of commercial revenue, for example NRK in Norway, have been more resistant to partnerships with market players (Enli et al, 2019). Others, for example the BBC with a large commercial subsidiary BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide), charged with increasing commercial revenues, have historically been more open to commercial collaborations and investment (Donders and Van den Bulck, 2016), as evidenced by the BBC's collaborations with SVoDs, building on earlier production collaborations.…”

‘If you can’t beat them, be them’

“…However, despite this continuous emphasis, commitments thus far rarely resulted in largescale successful collaborations as competition between players remain prevalent. Th e fact that the main adversaries for domestic players are no longer rivals within the market, but rather global platforms, has served as the impetus for more structural collaboration (Enli et al 2019). As such, the joint venture reaffi rms how media ecosystems, more than ever, have become complex networks in which players take up the role of competitor and partner at the same time.…”