The relation between content providers and distributors: Lessons from the regulation of television distribution in the United Kingdom

Using the United Kingdom (UK) as a case study, this article analyses the growing commercial and regulatory significance of broadcaster-distributor relations within the contemporary television industry. The first part of the article argues that despite important changes in broadcast delivery technology, more recently shaped by the growth of the Internet, and the associated growth of options of receiving television content, the traditional delivery platforms (digital terrestrial, satellite and cable) remain by far the preferred choice for viewers in Britain. At the same time, public service broadcasters continue to be the biggest investors in domestic original non-sport content and account for over half of all television viewing. The strength of PSBs in content and their growing reliance on commercial proprietary subscription platforms (cable and satellite) and gradually on the Internet presents challenges in the nexus between broadcasters and distributors. The article focuses on the debate over retransmission fees between PSBs and Sky, and on the question of whether Sky should be required to offer some of its premium content to rival pay-TV platforms. These two examples highlight the impact regulatory intervention can have on the balance of power between broadcasters and distributors. The article concludes that such debates concerning the commercial relations between content providers and distributors will remain pivotal and become more heated given that similar issues are raised in the Internet environment

Exploring Network Centralities in Spreading Processes

International audienceInformation and influence spread have been attracting a lot of attention due to the important role they play to numerous applications. Various previous studies have been focused on understanding the patterns during a spreading process. Most studies have been focusing on individual-based diffusion data and on inferring the diffusion network. In this work, we investigate the topological characteristics of individuals that are influenced and that participate in a diffusion process and present the patterns that are detected. We furthermore compare the in-dividuals' characteristics between a simulated and a real world spreading process and show the need for a more comprehensive model in this area

ADOLESCENTS' REASONS FOR CONSUMING ENERGY DRINKS: VALIDATION AND FACTOR STRUCTURE OF A NEW SCALE

Energy drinks (EnDs) are popular caffeinated beverages, especially among youth. Despite high consumption, links with risky behaviors, and adverse health effects, very few measures exist for examining reasons that drive consumers to continued use. This study aimed to develop and examine the psychometric properties of a new scale for detecting reasons for consuming EnDs. Participants were 184 adolescent energy drink consumers. Exploratory factor analysis showed that the 25 items of the scale were grouped into two components: “Habit and negative affect reduction”, “Pleasure and Stimulation”. The factors had high reliability and satisfactory convergent and divergent validity. This measure could lead to more systematic research on the effects of EnDs consumption

The effect of the PSI in the relationship between sovereign and bank credit risk: Evidence from the Euro Area

This study examines the nexus between sovereigns and banks during a crisis with a focus on the effects of PSI, the voluntary exchange program of Greek sovereign bonds with private sector involvement. The effectiveness of the program is evaluated through its impact on credit default swaps of 8 Eurozone countries and 21 banks, using daily data from 2009 to 2014. Using linear and nonlinear causality analyses, it is found that the link between sovereign and bank risk weakened after PSI, while the persistence and magnitude of lead-lag interactions also declined in the same period. A difference-in-difference model confirms this result. The findings are also robust to second moment filtering, with GARCH-BEKK residuals indicating the presence of significant albeit declining nonlinear causal effects. The empirical evidence suggests that sovereign debt restructuring initiatives, such as PSI, could be an effective policy measure to ease off pressure on the nexus between banks and their sovereigns

Why do some cities adopt more diversity policies than others?:A study in France and Germany

An increasing sociocultural heterogeneity of populations and vocal demands for the recognition of diversity have become common features of, in particular, cities in Western Europe. Do cities reshape policies in response to such developments? And to what extent do they implement policies that accommodate difference? We use data from an original survey of urban policy actors in the twenty largest cities of France and Germany to identify city-level diversity policy instruments. In both countries, such instruments are widespread, contradicting assumptions of dominant assimilationist paradigms. And yet, the degree of adoption across cities varies. Drawing on institutionalist theory, we investigate what might explain differing adoption rates. The main finding is that key determinants at the urban level differ between the two countries. In France, the political constellation is crucial; higher numbers of diversity policies are associated with centre-left dominance. In contrast, in German cities, political consensus around diversity policies seems to prevail and higher adoption rates are associated with higher population diversity. Our findings provide a first wide-ranging account of the adoption of diversity policy instruments in European cities. They demonstrate that such policies exist at a relevant scale. They further help explain why the adoption of diversity policy instruments is uneven