EUROPEAN MEDIA MARKETS
Professor Karen Donders
New Media and Society in Europe
2019-2020
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
,Table of Contents
European media markets – Course 1: Introduction.......................................................................................... 3
Video ................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 3
European Media Markets – Course 2: Audiovisual production ........................................................................ 7
Basics (of distribution) ........................................................................................................................................ 7
Characteristics of television production.............................................................................................................. 8
Output and revenues ........................................................................................................................................ 13
Main players ..................................................................................................................................................... 16
Format trade..................................................................................................................................................... 18
Trade in ready-mades ....................................................................................................................................... 20
Trends ............................................................................................................................................................... 24
Specific drama production cases ...................................................................................................................... 26
Trends in TV drama production ........................................................................................................................ 28
European Media Markets – Course 3: Audiovisual aggregation (broadcasting and VOD) ............................... 29
How do television broadcasting markets work? ............................................................................................... 29
Some big players ............................................................................................................................................... 43
What are the challenges for television broadcasting due to digitization? ....................................................... 43
VOD................................................................................................................................................................... 51
European Media Markets – Course 4: Audiovisual distribution and OTT........................................................ 59
What was audiovisual distribution traditionally? ............................................................................................. 59
The European markets ...................................................................................................................................... 64
National markets .............................................................................................................................................. 68
What are challenges for the incumbent distributers due to digitization? ........................................................ 71
Over-the-top distribution .................................................................................................................................. 74
European Media Markets – Course 5: Media and non-media platforms ........................................................ 77
What is a platform? .......................................................................................................................................... 77
What is a happening? ....................................................................................................................................... 80
What will happen in the future? ....................................................................................................................... 91
Is there a need for intervention? ...................................................................................................................... 95
,European Media Markets – Course 6: Online business models ...................................................................... 96
How money was made in media industry ......................................................................................................... 96
How money is made: new online models........................................................................................................ 100
The importance of data .................................................................................................................................. 109
European Media Markets – Course 7: Ownership integration in media markets.......................................... 112
What is ownership integration? ..................................................................................................................... 112
Why is media concentration important? ........................................................................................................ 114
Horizontal moves ............................................................................................................................................ 116
Vertical moves ................................................................................................................................................ 118
Diagonal integration....................................................................................................................................... 118
Trends ............................................................................................................................................................. 119
Merger regulation .......................................................................................................................................... 125
2
, European media markets – Course 1: Introduction
Video
- Move away from linear market to Video on Demand
- There are new ‘kids’ around the corner: Apple, Disney+, etc. -> war of the streaming
platforms
- Blockbuster: didn’t jump on the bandwagon -> thought that this was once again a wild
idea of company and did not think they would succeed in establishing themselves in
the market
• Bigger players try to protect what they have and resist change (but not all of them
think this way)
• At that moment, Netflix was rather small, and they did not see them as a treat
• Personal and individual level: companies made on everyday basis by people
Introduction
- MAVISE
- EAO
ð Databanks on statistics etc.
What are media markets?
- Definitions
• The OECD (2007) defines the media sector as consisting of industries engaged in
the production, publishing and/or the electronic distribution of content products
• Content corresponds to an organized message intended for human beings and
published in mass communication media and related media activities. The value of
such a product to the consumer does not lie in its tangible qualities but in its
information, educational, cultural or entertainment content. As noted by IPTS
(2008) those qualities appear to be linked to novelty and/or uniqueness of the
content
• Communication refers to social interaction whereby information is transmitted and
processed
• Telecommunications refers to the transmission of signals over a distance
• A market denotes a structure where buyers and sellers exchange goods. An
industry usually describes a grouping of companies with highly similar business
activities. In the terminology of Porter (1980) an industry is a group of firms that
market products that are close substitutes for each other (e.g. cars in the car
industry). A sector can be equaled to industry, sometimes includes a larger part of
the vertical value chain
• Of course, with digitization, the difference between content, communication and
telecommunication becomes blurred. This is referred to as technological and
economic convergence of media sectors, which complicates the exercise of
obtaining a clear analytical picture of the value chain
3
Professor Karen Donders
New Media and Society in Europe
2019-2020
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
,Table of Contents
European media markets – Course 1: Introduction.......................................................................................... 3
Video ................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................ 3
European Media Markets – Course 2: Audiovisual production ........................................................................ 7
Basics (of distribution) ........................................................................................................................................ 7
Characteristics of television production.............................................................................................................. 8
Output and revenues ........................................................................................................................................ 13
Main players ..................................................................................................................................................... 16
Format trade..................................................................................................................................................... 18
Trade in ready-mades ....................................................................................................................................... 20
Trends ............................................................................................................................................................... 24
Specific drama production cases ...................................................................................................................... 26
Trends in TV drama production ........................................................................................................................ 28
European Media Markets – Course 3: Audiovisual aggregation (broadcasting and VOD) ............................... 29
How do television broadcasting markets work? ............................................................................................... 29
Some big players ............................................................................................................................................... 43
What are the challenges for television broadcasting due to digitization? ....................................................... 43
VOD................................................................................................................................................................... 51
European Media Markets – Course 4: Audiovisual distribution and OTT........................................................ 59
What was audiovisual distribution traditionally? ............................................................................................. 59
The European markets ...................................................................................................................................... 64
National markets .............................................................................................................................................. 68
What are challenges for the incumbent distributers due to digitization? ........................................................ 71
Over-the-top distribution .................................................................................................................................. 74
European Media Markets – Course 5: Media and non-media platforms ........................................................ 77
What is a platform? .......................................................................................................................................... 77
What is a happening? ....................................................................................................................................... 80
What will happen in the future? ....................................................................................................................... 91
Is there a need for intervention? ...................................................................................................................... 95
,European Media Markets – Course 6: Online business models ...................................................................... 96
How money was made in media industry ......................................................................................................... 96
How money is made: new online models........................................................................................................ 100
The importance of data .................................................................................................................................. 109
European Media Markets – Course 7: Ownership integration in media markets.......................................... 112
What is ownership integration? ..................................................................................................................... 112
Why is media concentration important? ........................................................................................................ 114
Horizontal moves ............................................................................................................................................ 116
Vertical moves ................................................................................................................................................ 118
Diagonal integration....................................................................................................................................... 118
Trends ............................................................................................................................................................. 119
Merger regulation .......................................................................................................................................... 125
2
, European media markets – Course 1: Introduction
Video
- Move away from linear market to Video on Demand
- There are new ‘kids’ around the corner: Apple, Disney+, etc. -> war of the streaming
platforms
- Blockbuster: didn’t jump on the bandwagon -> thought that this was once again a wild
idea of company and did not think they would succeed in establishing themselves in
the market
• Bigger players try to protect what they have and resist change (but not all of them
think this way)
• At that moment, Netflix was rather small, and they did not see them as a treat
• Personal and individual level: companies made on everyday basis by people
Introduction
- MAVISE
- EAO
ð Databanks on statistics etc.
What are media markets?
- Definitions
• The OECD (2007) defines the media sector as consisting of industries engaged in
the production, publishing and/or the electronic distribution of content products
• Content corresponds to an organized message intended for human beings and
published in mass communication media and related media activities. The value of
such a product to the consumer does not lie in its tangible qualities but in its
information, educational, cultural or entertainment content. As noted by IPTS
(2008) those qualities appear to be linked to novelty and/or uniqueness of the
content
• Communication refers to social interaction whereby information is transmitted and
processed
• Telecommunications refers to the transmission of signals over a distance
• A market denotes a structure where buyers and sellers exchange goods. An
industry usually describes a grouping of companies with highly similar business
activities. In the terminology of Porter (1980) an industry is a group of firms that
market products that are close substitutes for each other (e.g. cars in the car
industry). A sector can be equaled to industry, sometimes includes a larger part of
the vertical value chain
• Of course, with digitization, the difference between content, communication and
telecommunication becomes blurred. This is referred to as technological and
economic convergence of media sectors, which complicates the exercise of
obtaining a clear analytical picture of the value chain
3
