Mapping digital media: digital television, the public interest, and European regulation

Discussion of digital television has focused on switch-over dates, set-top boxes and the technical and economic implications of switch-over. This paper, by contrast, focusses on public interest obligations and citizenship values such as freedom, access, universality, political pluralism and content diversity. Petros Iosifidis distinguishes broadly between public interest priorities as understood in western Europe, and in central and eastern Europe. After assessing some obvious benefits of digital TV (extra channels, converged communications, enhanced interactivity and mobility), he argues that the public interest outcomes from the introduction of new technologies like the internet and digital TV will depend on how people use them, for new technology is only a vehicle by means of which public interest goals can be achieved. He then considers digital TV penetration data from across Europe, as well as the status of national digital switch-over plans, stressing that northern Europe is much more advanced in this regard than southern and eastern-central Europe. Outlining the pros and cons of digital switch-over for the public, Dr Iosifidis contends that universality and accessibility can best be ensured by maintaining public service media, which have been—and should continue to be—important conveyors of freely accessible and reliable information. Countries where television has been dominated by state broadcasters should use the new technology and in particular digital switch-over to create independent non-profit channels at both local and national levels, to foster a competitive environment and political pluralism

Welfare effects of public service broadcasting in a free-to-air TV market

Viewer's private information consumption generates external benefits for society, because information improves the ability of voters to control politicians. Our study compares two settings in a free-to-air TV market: a differentiated duopoly of private channels and an oligopoly with both private channels and a public service broadcaster broadcasting information as well as entertainment programs. We find that welfare effects of public service broadcasting depend on its program design and cost efficiency, the external benefits of voter's information, and the magnitude of lost rents from the advertising market. --Media,two-sided TV market,information externalities

Parasoziale Interaktion : Bibliografie ; Nachträge 10 / 2000

Zur Bibliographie: Aufgenommen sind alle Veröffentlichungen, die im SSCI oder A&HCI bis einschließlich 1991 als Quellen für Zitierungen der Aufsätze Horton/Wohl (1956) und Horton/Strauss (1957) nachgewiesen sind, sowie alle anderen mir vorliegenden Arbeiten, die diese Aufsätze bzw. das Konzept der parasozialen Interaktion erwähnen. Aufgrund dieses Verfahrens erscheinen einige Arbeiten, die Horton und Wohls Aufsatz lediglich am Rande erwähnen oder auch gar nicht der Kommunikationsforschung angehören. Leider werden deutschsprachige Zeitschriften bibliographisch kaum ausgewertet, so daß man für die Erfassung der deutschen Rezeption auf Querverweise und Zufallsfunde angewiesen ist

A medium to long term roadmap for access services on DTV

DTV4All is a project partly funded by the European Commission (CIP ICT Policy Support Programme) to facilitate the provision of access services on digital television across the European Union. Access services literally help their users access the content of television programmes. Important examples of access services for people who are hard of hearing or deaf are subtitles and deaf signing provided with television programmes to allow their users to more fully appreciate the programme dialogue. The primary aim of the DTV4All project is to encourage the roll out of access services on digital television across the EC. To do this the project targets eroding the barriers to the roll out of access services by making clear what these barriers are and how they may be overcome. This paper provides an overview of the progress the project has made in its first two years in meeting this target

What's Going on in Community Media

What's Going On in Community Media shines a spotlight on media practices that increase citizen participation in media production, governance, and policy. The report summarizes the findings of a nationwide scan of effective and emerging community media practices conducted by the Benton Foundation in collaboration with the Community Media and Technology Program of the University of Massachusetts, Boston. The scan includes an analysis of trends and emerging practices; comparative research; an online survey of community media practitioners; one-on-one interviews with practitioners, funders and policy makers; and the information gleaned from a series of roundtable discussions with community media practitioners in Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Portland, Oregon

(De)convergence in TV: a comparative analysis of the development of Smart TV

Against the backdrop of media convergence, Smart TVs are developing rapidly in large parts of the world. Smart TV refers to the integration of broadband Internet and social media features into TV sets. From a media business perspective, the proliferation of Smart TV services may put pressure on the market structure of the TV landscape, and urge for new business models in order to capture the dynamics of media convergence. By means of a comparative analysis in four European markets (Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom), the development of Smart TV is sketched in terms of viewing patterns, business models and standardization. The conclusion is that national TV markets are evolving quite differently, so that service providers must adapt their marketing strategies to reflect local market conditions. Hence, the success of Smart TV ultimately depends on the local package of value-added services and the amount of strategic partnerships with content owners, TV broadcasters and pay-TV operators

Broadcasting the 2006 World Cup: The Right of Arab Fans versus ART Exclusivity

The 2006 World Cup found itself at the center of Arab countries’ attention. In the past fans enjoyed free access to the televised World Cup on public channels that maintain publicservice obligations.3 However, Arab Radio & Television (ART), a commercial broadcaster, bought the telecast rights to the World Cup matches in Arab countries. As a result of this deal, fans in Arab countries were not able to conveniently watch the World Cup broadcast. Further, the legal significance of the ART exclusive rights deal is not yet fully appreciated in Arab countries