Private Television in Western Europe : Content, Markets, Policies

Private Television in Western Europe: Content, Markets, Policies describes, analyses and evaluates the phenomenon of private television in Europe, clustered around the themes of European and national experiences, content and markets, and policies.

The existence of commercial television in Europe is relatively new compared to the United States and was ''officialised'' only in 1989 with the adoption of the Television without Frontiers Directive. The introduction of private television - to some extent coordinated at the European level, but to a large extent shaped by the EU Member States - was fiercely commented upon in the 1980s. Nevertheless, most assertions on the phenomenon of private television are based not so much on empirical findings but rather on ideological arguments in favour or against commercial television. More often than not, arguments are entrenched in ''boom'' and ''doom'' perspectives on the commercialisation of media. In addition, academic research on private television remains scarce to date: the limited attention from scholars in Europe stands in sharp contrast with the extensive research in the field on public service broadcasting. Clustered around three themes, European and national experiences, content and markets, and policies, Private Television in Western Europe: Content, Markets, Policies aims to fill this gap, transcending the ''boom'' and ''doom'' scenarios that seem so dominant in media studies research.