Converged Markets–Converged Power? Regulation and Case Law

Summary:

The first part of this book explores the European Union's (EU) approach to limiting media power, an approach still dominated by the application of competition law as a result of the fact that competition law continues to be the area where EU law directly addresses market power and exercises strict control over the internal market. The author explains the general functioning of competition law and other regulatory instruments and then specifically how the various services provided in the audiovisual sector are regulated and in particular, what markets are to be  distinguished. The activities thereby touched upon reach from producing audiovisual media content to organising, offering and finally distributing services that are all needed to bring this content to the consumer.

The second part of this publication contains a description of the legal frameworks of 11 European countries used to address media power at the very same stages of the value chain covered by the EU contribution. For each of these countries you will find in particular information on the regulation of audiovisual media services and enabling services, platform and converged services, and finally distribution services.

The third part of this book brings in economic background in the form of different overviews concerning audience market shares for television and video online. This data puts the legal information into a real life context. The fourth and final part of this publication seeks to tie together the common threads in state regulation of media power, to work out the main differences and to hint to some unusual solutions. Here and there it will weave in aspects of EU law that have influenced the national legal frameworks.

Table of Contents:

• Part I | Regulation of Market Power in a Converged and Connected Audiovisual Media Sector at EU Level
  • EU - European Union | Ralf Capito
• Part II | Regulation of Market Power in a Converged and Connected Audiovisual Media Sector at National Level
  • CH - Switzerland | Franz Zeller & Michael Stämpfli
  • DE - Germany | Sebastian Schweda
  • ES - Spain | Francisco Javier Cabrera Blázquez & Carles Llorens
  • FR - France | Eléonore Scaramozzino
  • GB - United Kingdom | Lorna M. Woods
  • HU - Hungary | Szabolcs Koppányi & Patrik Polefkó
  • IT - Italy | Roberto Mastroianni & Amedeo Arena
  • LU - Luxembourg | Mark D. Cole & Jenny Metzdorf
  • NL - The Netherlands | Nico van Eijk
  • NO - Norway | Marita Bergtu
  • PL - Poland | Krzysztof Wojciechowski
• Part III | Measuring the Concentration of Audience for Television and Video On-line | André Lange
• Part IV | Common Grounds and Uncommon Choices | Susanne Nikoltchev