Learning outcomes

After completing the course the student will understand:
• Market structure of diverse media industries in historic and current forms
• Theories of the firm
• Business models and copyright issues
• The place and contributions of media industries in GDP over time
• Economic factors impacting the way media are organised and operated

Contents

Students learn how media industries have been structured as markets historically, and how they are structured today. Lectures clarify essential terms, sketch the establishment and evolution of key sectors (newspaper, magazine, television, cinema, telephony, etc). Attention focuses especially on 1) their contributions to national economies, 2) media’s varied roles in market economies, 3) how media differ economically from other industries, and 4) the impact and dynamics of globalisation and digitalisation as key factors driving change today.

Teaching methods

Teaching method	Contact	Online
Lectures	18 h	0 h

Teaching language

English

Evaluation and evaluation criteria

Numeric 1-5.
Attendance and active participation in the lectures (3 ECTS) and an essay examination (2 ECTS).

Study materials

Historic and contemporary readings in media economics,especially including the following:

Alexander, Alison, James Owens, and Rodney Carveth, eds. (2003) Media Economics Theory and Practice (3rd edition) Mahweh, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Compaine, Benjamin M., and Douglas Gomery. (2000) Who Owns the Media: Competition and Concentration in the Mass Media Industry (3rd edition). Mahweh, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Dimmick, John W. (2003) Media Competition and Coexistence: The Theory of Niche. Mahweh, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Napoli, Philip M. (2003) Audience Economics: Media Institutions and the Audience Marketplace. New York: Columbia University Press.

Vogel, Harold (2010) Entertainment Industry Economics: A Guide for Financial Analysis, 8th ed. UK: Cambridge University Press.

Belongs to following study modules