Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Media Industries as Structure: Objectivism and the Societal Context

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Industrial Approaches to Media

  • 318 Accesses

Abstract

What are the broader social, economic and political factors at work in shaping the media industries? This chapter focuses on answering this question by considering how the study of such deep political and economic forces in society remain key to considering the larger workings of media industries as outcomes of larger societal forces. I explore how political economy remains a key tool for understanding this societal context of media industries, both in historical and contemporary settings. To demonstrate this approach, Petros Iosifidis examines the political economy of television sports rights.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Bibliography

  • Ampuja, M. (2004). Critical Media Research, Globalisation Theory and Commercialisation. Javnost/The Public, 11(3), 59–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balio, T. (1995). Grand Design: Hollywood as a Modern Business Enterprise, 1930–1939. Berkeley: University Of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Balio, T. (2013). Hollywood in the New Millennium. London: BFI Publishing.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Baum, L. F. (1900). The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Chicago: The George M. Hill Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bauman, Z., & May, M. (1990). Thinking Sociologically. Malden MA: Blackwell Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bertrand, I., & Hughes, P. (2005). Media Research Methods: Audiences, Institutions, Texts. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhaskar, R. (1989). Reclaiming reality: A critical introduction to contemporary philosophy. New York: Routlege.

    Google Scholar 

  • Born, G. (2004). Uncertain Vision: Birt, Dyke and the Reinvention of the BBC. London: Secker & Warburg.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boyd-Barrett, O., & Newbold, C. (1995). Approaches to Media: A Reader. New York: Arnold.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bruun, H. (2015). Author Interview: Industrial Approaches to Media. 22 June.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryman, A., & Bell, E. (2003). Business Research Methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryman, A., & Bell, E. (2011). Business Research Methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell, J. T. (2015). Production Studies: Where Do We Go From Here?, Panel Presentation at the Conference of New Directions in Film and Television Production Studies (Bristol, April 14–15).

    Google Scholar 

  • Caston, E. (2015). Author Interview: Industrial Approaches to Media. 20 June.

    Google Scholar 

  • Du Gay, P., & Pryke, M. (2002). Cultural Economy: Cultural Analysis and Commercial Life. London: SAGE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dwyer, P. (2015, April 14–15). Theorising media production: The poverty of political economy. Panel presentation at the conference of New Directions in Film and Television Production Studies, Bristol.

    Google Scholar 

  • Evens, T., Iosifids, P., & Smith, P. (2013). The Political Economy of Television Sports Rights. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Evens, T., Iosifids, P., & Smith, P. (2015). The Regulation of Television Sports Broadcasting: A Comparative Analysis. Media, Culture & Society, 37(5), 720–736.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flew, T. (2007). Understanding Global Media. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freedman, D. (2008). The Politics of Media Policy. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeman, M. (2014a). Advertising the Yellow Brick Road: Historicizing the Industrial Emergence of Transmedia Storytelling. International Journal of Communication, 8, 2362–2381.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeman, M. (2014b). The Wonderful Game of Oz and Tarzan Jigsaws: Commodifying Transmedia in Earth 20th Century Consumer Culture. Intensities: The Journal of Cult Media, 7, 44–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeman, M. (2015). Branding Consumerism: Cross-media Characters and Story-worlds at the Turn of the 20th Century. The International Journal of Cultural Studies, 18(6), 629–644.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garnham, N. (1990). Capitalism and Communication. London: SAGE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giddens, A. (1984). The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Golding, P., & Murdock, G. (1991). Culture, Communications and Political Economy. In J. Curran & M. Gurevitch (Eds.), Mass Media and Society (pp. 15–31). London: Edward Arnold.

    Google Scholar 

  • Groom, E. (2014). It’s All On Paper: Archiving the Media Industries, and Studying Archive Collections. Industrial Approaches to Media – The University of Nottingham. Available at: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/isir/projects/industrial-approaches-to-media/elinor-groom.aspx

  • Grossberg, L. (1991). Strategies of Marxist Cultural Interpretation. In R. K. Avery & D. Eason (Eds.), Critical Perspectives on Media and Society (pp. 126–159). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grossberg, L. (1996). Cultural Studies v. Political Economy: Is Anyone Else Bored with this Debate? Critical Studies in Mass Communication, 12(1), 72–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, J. (2006). The Political-Economy of Blair’s “New Regional Policy”. Geoforum, 37(6), 932–943.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Havens, T., & Lotz, A. D. (2011). Understanding Media Industries. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Havens, T., Lotz, A. D., & Tinic, S. (2009). Critical Media Industries Studies: A Research Approach. Communication, Culture & Critique 2:2(June): 234–253.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herman, E., & Chomsky, N. (1988). Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media. London: Vintage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hesmondhalgh, D. (2007). The Cultural Industries (2nd ed.). London: SAGE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hesmondhalgh, D. (2014). The Menace of Instrumentalism in Media Industries Research and Education. Media Industries Journal, 1(1), 21–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hesmondhalgh, D., & Baker, S. (2011). Creative Labour: Media Work in Three Cultural Industries. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hilmes, M. (1999). Hollywood and Broadcasting: From Radio to Cable. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holt, J. (2011). Empires of Entertainment: Media Industries and the Politics of Deregulation, 1980–1996. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holt, J. (2013a). The Future of Media Industry Studies – Academic-Industry Collaboration. Media Commons (May 30). Available at: http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/imr/2013/05/30/future-media-industry-studies-academic-industry-collaboration

  • Holt, J. (2013b). Two-Way Mirrors: Looking at the Future of Academic-Industry Engagement. Cinema Journal, 52(3), 183–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holt, J., & Perren, A. (Eds.) (2009). Media Industries: History, Theory, and Method. Malden: Wiley-Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Iosifidis, P. (1997). ‘Methods of Measuring Media Concentration. Media, Culture & Society, 19(3), 643–663.

    Google Scholar 

  • Iosifidis, P. (2007). Public Television in the Digital Era: Technological Challenges and New Strategies for Europe. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Iosifidis, P. (2010). Reinventing Public Service Communication: European Broadcasters and Beyond. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Iosifidis, P. (2011). Global Media and Communication Policy. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Iosifidis, P., & Wheeler, M. (2016). Public Spheres and Mediated Social Networks. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, V., Banks, M. J., & Caldwell, J. T. (2009). Production Studies: Cultural Studies of Media Industries. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • McChesney, R. (2004). The Problem of the Media: U.S. Communication Politics in the 21st Century. New York: Monthly Review Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, P. (2013). Introduction: In Focus – Media Industries Studies. Cinema Journal, 52(3), 145–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mizruchi, M. (2007). Political Economy and Network Analysis: An Untapped Convergence. Sociologica (April). Available at: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mizruchi/vvpub.pdf

  • Mosco, V. (1996). The Political Economy of Communication. London: SAGE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mulgan, G. (1997). Life After Politics: New Ideas for the 21st Century. London: Fontana Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murdock, G. (2000). Digital futures: European television in the age of convergence. In J. Wieten, G. Murdock, & P. Dahlgren (Eds.), Television across Europe: A comparative introduction (pp. 35–57). London: Sage.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Murdock, G., & Golding, P. (2000). Culture, Communications and Political Economy. In J. Curran & M. Gurevitch (Eds.), Mass Media and Society (3rd ed., pp. 70–92). London: Edward Arnold.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murdock, G., & Wasko, J. (2007). Introduction. In G. Murdock & J. Wasko (Eds.), Media in the Age of Marketization (pp. 1–7). Cresskill: Hampton Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearson, R. (2012). What Will You Learn That You Don’t Already Know? An Interrogation of Industrial Television Studies, Panel Presentation at the Conference of the Society for Cinema and Media Studies (Boston, March 24).

    Google Scholar 

  • Perren, A. (2013). Dissecting Distribution: The Potential Role(s) of Media Industry Studies Scholars. In Media Res (May 31). Available at: http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/imr/2013/05/31/dissecting-distribution-potential-roles-media-industry-studies-scholars

  • Presence, S. (2014). The ethics and politics of media engagement. Industrial Approaches to Media—The University of Nottingham. Available at: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/research/groups/isir/projects/industrial-approaches-to-media/industrial-approaches-to-media-inaugural-event.aspx

  • Saunders, M., & Lewis, P. (2012). Doing Research in Business & Management: An Essential Guide to Planning Your Project. New York: Pearson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scolari, C., Bertetti, P., & Freeman, M. (2014). Transmedia Archaeology: Storytelling in the Borderlines of Science Fiction, Comics and Pulp Magazines. Basingstoke: Palgrave Pivot.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Seale, C. (1998). Researching Society and Culture. London: SAGE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strange, S. (1988). States and Markets: An Introduction to International Political Economy. London: Pinter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Szczepanik, P., & Vonderau, P. (Eds.) (2013). Behind the Screen: Inside European Production Cultures. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wasko, J., & Meehan, E. I. (2013). Critical Crossroads or Parallel Routes? Political Economy and New Approaches to Studying Media Industries and Cultural Products. Cinema Journal, 52(3), 150–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wheeler, M. (2004). Supranational Regulation: Television and the European Union. European Journal of Communication, 19(3), 349–369.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bath Spa University, Bath, UK

    Matthew Freeman

Authors
  1. Matthew Freeman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matthew Freeman .

Copyright information

© 2016 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Freeman, M. (2016). Media Industries as Structure: Objectivism and the Societal Context. In: Industrial Approaches to Media. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-55176-4_5

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation