Ownership and Control of the Mass Media

• Media companies have become more and more transnational
• Transnational means that media compnaies operate in countries all over the world
• The ownership of the mass media has increasingly concentrated into fewer and fewer transnational corporations

• 9 out of 10 of the biggest companies are American owned
• The concern is that these giant corporations will buy out smaller companies over the world and undermine other cultures

• Rupert Murdock's New Corporation has broadened from newspapers to televison, broadcasting, cinema and publishing
• This cross media ownership has produced media conglomerates
• Cross media is when a company owns a range of media forms such as TV and newspapers
• Media conglomerates is an organisation who owns a number of companies in various mass media such as TV, radio, publishing and film

• Media companies may diversify into non - media
• An example would be the Disney - branched into theme parks, toys etc

• Media conglomerates have increased the pace of vertical intergration
• Vertical intergration is where media companies control every stage in the production of media content
• Example of vertical intergration is a film production company, who may also own transport and distribution companies and a cinema
• They are controlling the shooting of the film, to the showing and then even selling popcorn

• Digital technology has enabled media companies to diversify into a wider range of products and markets
• This is media intergration
• Example is Time Warner and AOL joining, Time Warner has gained an internet link and has remained one of the most powerful corporation in the world 
• Example is Virgin and BT providing TV and FILM on demand
• Example is mobile phones which also have cameras, TV and internet

• Media intergration is known as synergy
• Synergy is the intergration of different media forms this has allowed the following:
• Media products before were seperate now they can be packaged, for example when you buy Harry Potter DVD, you can get the toys, playstaion game and action figures aswell
• The ownership of the companies who used create these goods are now in the hands of one corporation

- Disney for example can use its DVD to promote its other film and toys

This is known as intracorporate cross- promotion