Unit 11: Ownership Patterns of Media (Mass Media)

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers key concepts, ownership patterns, and historical developments in the global and Indian mass media industries as discussed in Unit 11.

Media Corporatisation

The shift toward media organizations operating as large corporate entities, facilitated by the deregulation of ownership laws.

Dual-product Market

A market where media organizations produce and supply information and entertainment products for audiences while simultaneously selling those audiences to advertisers.

Globalisation (Thomas Larsson definition)

A process that encompasses the causes, course, and consequences of transnational and transcultural integration of human and non-human activities.

Chain Ownership

A pattern where the same media company owns numerous outlets within a single medium, such as multiple newspapers, radio stations, or television stations.

Cross Media Ownership

When the same company owns several different media platforms, such as newspapers, magazines, musical labels, and publishers.

Conglomerate Ownership

The ownership of several diverse businesses, where at least one is a media business, often used to exercise social and political influence.

Vertical Integration

The process by which media corporations gain ownership of both the intellectual property (content) and the means of distribution, or the raw materials like newsprint and ink.

Horizontal Integration

A strategy where two firms at the same stage in the supply chain or engaged in the same business activity merge to expand market share and gain economies of scale.

Diagonal Expansion

Also known as lateral expansion, this occurs when firms diversify into new business areas to spread risk and benefit from economies of scope.

Doordarshan (DD)

The state-run network that held a monopoly over Indian television until market liberalisation in 1991.

All India Radio (AIR)

The government-owned broadcaster that maintains a monopoly on radio news in India and covers 91 percent of the country.

Murdochisation

A business model in journalism involving the destruction of editorial autonomy, predatory pricing to control market share, and the use of political deals to tilt editorial content.

Technological Convergence

The erosion of traditional boundaries between media, telecommunications, and computing industries, allowing for greater overlap in broadcasting and conventional media forms.

Market Fragmentation

The process by which new communication technologies like cable, VCRs, and the World Wide Web increase competition for the audience's attention, eroding the share held by broadcast networks.

FDI (Foreign Direct Investment)

Investment made by a company or individual in one country into business interests in another country, which saw a dramatic increase in the media sector during the 1990s.