Best Known For: Books, films, theme parks
Vertical Intergration: Disney world, disney land, disney channel
Horizontal Intergration: ABC and Hulu
Synergy: Theme parks, disney games, merchandise(eg: toys, costumes etc)
Diversification: Freeform and ESPN
2) Do you agree that governments should prevent media conglomerates from becoming too dominant? Write an argument that looks at both sides of this debate.
I strongly agree that governments should prevent media conglomerates from becoming too dominant as it gives them power over such a large amount of people which can be misused, for example it could be used to portray certain political or ethical views which would then impact how their audiences perceive things in real life. What we see broadcasted could also be misleading as we wont know what is true or not as the media conglomerates might be biased.
3) Briefly describe the production, promotion and distribution process for media companies.
Production - provides audiences with the media products they want. It needs to consider the audience’s desires and should provide the gratifications the audience expects.
Promotion - researches and identifies the target audience for the product, and uses advertising and marketing strategies to inform and persuade them of the value of the media product.
Distribution - process uses the most appropriate methods for getting the product to the audience
and making it as easy as possible for them to access it.
4) What are the different funding models for media institutions?
Different institutions have different models of income generation. These different business models
and potential income streams will impact on the way each institution produces, markets and distributes its products. For example, the BBC is funded by a licence fee and it has a public service
remit, it is more likely to screen programmes with a regional interest than other broadcasters. Other funding models are: ITV, Sky One and The MailOnline.
5) The article gives a lot of examples of major media brands and companies. Choose three examples from the article and summarise what the writer is saying about each of them.
Disney - A family friendly brand that focuses on children’s entertainment. It created iconic logos such as the dream castle, Walt Disney’s signature and Mickey’s ears, which allow audiences to recognise the brand.
Marvel - Developed from its hugely popular original comic book publications. It is jointly owned by Sony, Disney and Fox Marvel and produces superhero movies.
Spotify - A music streaming and downloading service where customers do not have to pay and can listen with ads, or pay monthly for a subscription to listen to music without ads.
6) What examples are provided of the new business models media companies have had to adopt due to changes in technology and distribution?
The fragmentation of modern audiences and the rise of ‘free culture’ means that all institutions
are now having to reconsider their business models, for example, the movie industry has invested enormous sums of money into 3D technology, in order to encourage audiences into cinemas.
7) Re-read the section on 'The Future'. What examples are discussed of technology companies becoming major media institutions?
One example given is Google and how it now owns YouTube, and has revolutionised the way we access music and moving-image entertainment and information.
8) Do you agree with the view that traditional media institutions are struggling to survive?
I disagree as although technology is becoming more advanced and there are new business models, many institutions are keeping up to date with this and adapting as trends change, such as some cinemas showing 4D movies and the music industry creating online services as well as sharing it traditionally through CD's and vinyls.
9) How might diversification or vertical integration help companies to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing media landscape?
It allows them to reach larger audiences with their view and content through other companies which will allow them to expand and generate higher revenues and re-invest.
10) How do YOU see the relationship between audience and institution in the future? Will audiences gain increasing power or will the major global media conglomerates maintain their control?
I think it could go two ways - audience and institutions could grow together and become dependant on eachother or the audience might begin to increase the amount of control they have as the media has to produce content that viewers want to see.
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