Global Communication and Media Policy

The rise of a global marketplace of media production has been the result of many factors. It has been shaped by processes of liberalization and deregulation of the sector, internationally, and by the development of new technologies such as the satellite and the cable technologies. Throughout this chapter, the authors address the way media and technology have converged, the process of “vertical integration” that has happened in the media industry, and finally the way media power is concentrated in the hands of a few number of people, which is threatening to global democracy. What I will focus on, while reacting at the fourth chapter of the book, is the idea of convergence, which has happened with media and technologies. Globalisation has been correlated with convergence, as before it, most media corporations were focusing on specific areas, or fields of work. The textbook gives examples such as: Disney being only focused on cartoons and theme-parked industry; and Viacom being only c

The current state of global media infrastructure is the result of policies of liberalization and privatization, of the development of new digital technologies and of the globalization of telecommunications. With the increasing presence of regional and global satellite networks, the traditional approach to communication through a state-centric perspective has become outdated. The third chapter of the textbook aims to provide a review of the current (at the time when the textbook was written) state of the world satellite industry; as well as discussing the way TNCs (Transnational Corporations) were the first beneficiaries of  liberal policies. In this summary, I will focus on the   key players of the global satellite industry, as described in the textbook.   The satellite industry has been strongly impacted by the rise of digital technology. When compared to old technologies (and more specifically to 1960s spacecraft), modern satellites have had a capacity increase of ‘500-fold.