Publisher's Synopsis
The major players in the world television industry, like Murdoch, Bertelsmann and Berlusconi, are household names. Major developments in television, like the spread of cable and satellite, are big news in their own and other media. Yet the economic forces which shape these changes and determine where and how the major figures achieve their success remain obscure. "The World Television Industry" uses economic analysis to examine recent changes in the television industry. It uses the theory of public goods and a model of industrial organization to identify the major forces determining the nature of the television product. Its unique financial system, often based around two or even three "sales" - of advertising, of programmes to end-users and of programmes to other suppliers - is examined, as are alternative methods of financing. The all-pervasive role of government is discussed at length.;Bacause of its world influence particular attention is paid to the United States, but chapters also cover the European situation, the industry in Japan and television in both the communist and developing worlds.
