Audiovisual Regulation under Pressure : Comparative Cases from North America and Europe

The book is an interdisciplinary investigation of trends in audiovisual regulation. The book considers recent trends towards deregulation and for policy in this field to pursue trade and industry policy goals rather than traditional cultural and democratic objectives, notably media pluralism and diversity. This book explores regulatory policy in the following jurisdictions: the United States, Canada, France, Germany, the UK, the ‘Benelux’ countries, and the European Union and compares the very different responses to the issues of liberalisation, deregulation and the attainment of cultural objectives. In looking at regulation in different jurisdictions the book will lead to a better understanding of the path dependencies in cultural policy measures as applied to audiovisual media, but also a greater knowledge of the pressures of regulatory competition and the profound technological changes that call for new regulatory design.

In the face of globalization and new media technologies, can policy makers and regulators withstand deregulatory pressures on the ‘cultural policy toolkit’ for television? This comparative study provides an interdisciplinary investigation of trends in audiovisual regulation, with the focus on television and new media. It considers pressures for deregulation and for policy in this field to prioritise market development and economic goals rather than traditional cultural and democratic objectives, notably public service content, the promotion of national and local culture, media pluralism and diversity. The book explores regulatory policy in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Europe. The book focuses on a range of instruments designed for promoting pluralism and cultural diversity, particularly the role of public service broadcasting and the range of measures available for promoting cultural policy goals, such as subsidies, scheduling and investment quotas, as well as (particularly national) media ownership rules. The book draws on findings of two research projects funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council and is written in an accessible style by leading scholars of media law and policy, who bring to bear insights from their respective disciplines of law and political science.