A MAPPING STUDY OF MEDIA CONCENTRATION AND OWNERSHIP IN TEN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES David Ward with Oliver Carsten Fueg and Alessandro D’Armo © Commissariaat voor de Media and David Ward 2004 Colophon Contact David Ward [email protected] [email protected] ©Netherlands Media Authority and David Ward 2004 Commissariaat voor de Media Hoge Naarderweg 78 1217 AH Hilversum Postbus 1426, 1200 BK Hilversum The Netherlands Websites: www.cvdm.nl www.mediamonitor.nl MEDIA CONCENTRATION AND OWNERSHIP IN TEN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES CONTENTS Preface 3 1 Introduction and executive summary 5 2 Comparative overview 7 2.0 Introduction 7 2.1 Media concentration 7 2.1.1 The newspaper sector 7 2.1.2 The broadcasting sector 10 2.1.3 Summary 14 2.2 Regulatory instruments 23 3Belgium 25 3.0 Introduction 25 3.1 Media concentration 25 9 Spain 139 3.1.1 The newspaper sector 25 9.0 Introduction 139 3.1.2 The broadcasting sector 28 9.1 Media concentration 139 3.1.3 Cross media ownership 39 9.1.1 The newspaper sector 139 3.2 Summary of ownership rules 41 9.1.2 The broadcasting sector 144 9.1.3 Cross media ownership 157 4 France 43 9.2 Summary of ownership rules 160 4.0 Introduction 43 4.1 Media concentration 43 10 Sweden 163 4.1.1 The newspaper sector 43 10.0 Introduction 163 4.1.2 The broadcasting sector 48 10.1 Media concentration 163 4.1.3 Cross media ownership 58 10.1.1 The newspaper sector 163 4.2 Summary of media ownership rules 63 10.1.2 The broadcasting sector 165 10.1.3 Cross media ownership 171 5 Germany 67 10.2 Summary of ownership rules 174 5.0 Introduction 67 5.1 Media concentration 67 11 Switzerland 177 5.1.1 The newspaper sector 67 11.0 Introduction 177 5.1.2 The broadcasting sector 72 11.1 Media concentration 177 5.1.3 Cross media ownership 80 11.1.1 The newspaper sector 177 5.2 Summary of ownership rules 90 11.1.2 The broadcasting sector 180 11.1.3 Cross media ownership 192 6 Italy 93 11.2 Summary of ownership rules 194 6.0 Introduction 93 6.1 Media concentration 93 12 United Kingdom 197 6.1.1 The daily newspaper sector 93 12.0 Introduction 197 6.1.2 The broadcasting sector 98 12.1 Media concentration 197 6.1.3 Cross media ownership 104 12.1.1 The newspaper sector 197 6.2 Summary of ownership rules 107 12.1.2 The broadcasting sector 197 12.1.3 Cross media ownership 197 7 Luxembourg 111 12.2 Summary of ownership rules 197 7.0 Introduction 111 7.1 Media concentration 111 Select bibliography 219 7.1.1 The newspaper sector 111 7.1.2 The broadcasting sector 113 Comparative charts 223 7.1.3 Cross media ownership 119 Belgium 229 7.2 Summary of ownership rules 122 France 233 Germany 235 8 The Netherlands 125 Italy 237 8.0 Introduction 125 Luxembourg 239 8.1 Media concentration 125 The Netherlands 242 8.1.1 The newspaper sector 125 Spain 244 8.1.2 The broadcasting sector 128 Sweden 247 8.1.3 Cross media ownership 133 Switzerland 249 8.2 Summary of ownership rules 136 United Kingdom 253 MEDIA CONCENTRATION AND OWNERSHIP IN TEN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES 1 I would like to thank the following people for their support and comments: Constanze Barz Alfons Birrer Markus Booms Inge Brakman Maja Cappello Eva Harrie Sofia Johansson Quint Kik Evelyne Lentzen Emmanuelle Machet Bernd Malzanini Angeles Martín Lennart van der Meulen Tatiana Repkova Peter Schierbeck Maurice Vergeer Carole Winistoerfer Runar Woldt 2 MEDIA CONCENTRATION AND OWNERSHIP IN TEN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES PREFACE The growth of media companies and trends towards concentration raise serious issues as to their impact on the independence and diversity of media products in the Netherlands. At the request of the Dutch government the Commissariaat voor de Media (Dutch Media Authority) has developed a moni- tor to identify and describe these trends. Through the Mediamonitor, a project that provides both an annual report and website, the Commissariaat analyses the effects of media concentration on the supply of content including news and information. Since 2001 two reports have been published on media concentration in the Netherlands as part of the Mediamonitor. These reports contain an inventory of sectors that are of importance in the democratic life of the public in that they supply news and information. In this respect the reports cover both the print industry (newspapers and magazines) and television and radio. The Commissariaat has also commissioned studies on the cable sector and the Internet in the Netherlands from external research institutions. The third Mediamonitor report is due in September 2004. In the reports we assess the levels of concentration in the media sector against the previous year. They provide a background introduction covering trends and developments in the Dutch media sector and an assessment of levels of concentration of the suppliers of news and information. More specifi- cally we look at the number of companies operating in the broadcasting and publishing markets and their market shares. We also assess programming and editorial concentration in the context of the overall number of programmes and titles available in any one market. Finally, the reports assess the diversity of the media markets in the Netherlands. This analysis includes national and regional media allowing in-depth analysis of the media markets in the Netherlands. The results from the Mediamonitor are employed to assess future developments and policies and it is presented to the State Secretary for Media and Culture. International companies own a large number of media companies in Europe and the Netherlands is no exception to this rule. Although these companies are part of an international strategic plan, in prac- tice they must also meet with the regulatory requirements of nation states. Across Europe there is a wide range of instruments employed by national authorities that include both rules that work to pre- vent dominant positions forming in media markets as well as proactive instruments to support diversi- ty and pluralism across the region. To obtain a clearer sense of media concentration in the Netherlands the Commissariaat voor de Media has commissioned this report, which is an international comparative analysis of the media mar- kets in a number of European countries. The countries have been selected either for their geographi- cal size or because of the similarity of their media sectors to the situation in the Netherlands. The countries covered are: Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden and the UK. The media researcher David Ward has provided the study. We hope that this international comparative study marks a new step in understanding the phenome- non of media concentration in a period when "who owns which voice" becomes increasingly impor- tant. Transparency and openness is key to a plural media sector that supports the democratic process in Europe and it is only through increased awareness that we are in a position to better judge future media developments and safeguard the high quality and independence of the information the public receive through the media sector. Hilversum. May 2004 Commissariaat voor de Media prof. dr. Jan van Cuilenburg, Chairman mr. Inge Brakman, Commissioner MEDIA CONCENTRATION AND OWNERSHIP IN TEN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES 3 4 MEDIA CONCENTRATION AND OWNERSHIP IN TEN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES INTRODUCTION AND EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.0 One of the mainstays of media regulation throughout Europe has been concerned with maintaining a plurality of outlets and operators throughout the media industry. To this end certain limits and thresh- olds have traditionally been employed by governments to ensure that each market, and the sector overall, consist of a diverse number of operators so that that the public have access to a broad range of services. The recognition that media markets should remain open and plural to enable fair competi- tion and the perceived importance of the media in the democratic and social life of the public have converged to provide legal frameworks across Europe. These ensure that excessive market concen- tration does not threaten the possibility of competitive and plural media markets. This report was commissioned by the Commissariaat voor de Media and the consultant was request- ed to map out the market share and ownership structures of the media in ten European countries to cover the national and regional press, radio and television sectors. The objective of the report is to provide an overview of the state of play on the degree of media concentration in these countries and to develop certain benchmarks on a comparative level. To this end it has provided data on market shares and an analysis of the range of operators in these markets in the following media sectors: • The national press • The regional press • Radio broadcasting • Television broadcasting A series of national reports provide the background for the comparative part of the study. Although the national reports are set out to account for the differences in the individual national and regional mar- kets, and the various characteristics of these markets, the report has sought to employ a degree of harmonisation in order to provide a consistent framework for comparative purposes. The main findings of the report are the following: • A wide range of regulatory instruments is employed in the countries to ensure that media mar- kets remain plural. At the same time, competition policy is becoming an increasingly central mechanism for assessing whether a merger or acquisition involving a media company will have a detrimental effect on the sector. The instruments employed by the ten countries in the broad- casting sector range from ceilings for market share that any one broadcaster is allowed (and traditionally in Italy financial ceilings) and diversity in terms of shareholders (France) to less media-specific rules that are built on the idea of maintaining fair competition in markets.