Media Concentration Research

News International has commissioned research from Arthur Andersen into media concentration in the UK. The study was commissioned as a result of two other major enquiries into Media Concentration, the first the EC’s Green Paper, and the second the Government’s investigation into Cross Media ownership.

The aim of the survey was primarily to discover a methodology of measuring media influence. This research led Jane Reed, Director of Corporate Affairs to ask whether instead of trying to measure influence, the question to be discussed should be: is concentration necessarily a bad thing anyway? Are consumers really as lemming-like as regulators seem to think?

The study outlines two traditional concerns about media concentration; the first is economic, the second is regarding the media’s role as information provider. It is believed that a healthy society requires numerous independent media, competing vigorously and providing a diversity of views.

The report suggests that the UK media is not lacking in diversity; with 6000 magazines and over 500 newspapers; 40 television channels, 150 local radio stations and cinema rebounding from a decline in the 1970s. However, it is harder to ascertain whether there is a concentration in the media market; due to large disparities in popularity within media.

The lengthy report examines in great detail whether the UK media industry is concentrated. The report suggests that the best way of measuring influence on the public is time spent consuming media rather than revenue or expenditure.

For full details of the research, contact Andrew Whyte at News International, 071 782 6995.