REVISION OF MEDIA

OWNERSHIP

Lesson Objectives: To revise your understanding

of media ownership, and be able to explain the
implications for film institutions and audiences.

KEY WORDS WHICH KEY

OWNERSHIP TERMS ARE DEFINED
BELOW?
Two or more types of media
coming together.
Different elements of a company
working together to promote
related products.
The process by which an
increasingly smaller number of
companies own most media
outlets.
A company which produces two
or more types of media.
A large parent company which
owns a range of smaller
companies.
Smaller companies owned by a

KEY WORDS WHICH KEY

OWNERSHIP TERMS ARE DEFINED
BELOW?
Convergence

Two or more types of media

Synergy

Different elements of a company

coming together.
working together to promote
related products.

Concentration of media
ownership

The process by which an

increasingly smaller number of
companies own most media
outlets.

Cross-media ownership

When a company which produces

Conglomerate

A large parent company which

two or more types of media.

owns a range of smaller
companies.

Subsidiary

Smaller companies owned by a

THE AMERICAN FILM INDUSTRY

The American film industry is dominated by The

Big Six film studios.
Can you name them?

What is the
combined North
American market
share of the Big
Six?

THE AMERICAN FILM INDUSTRY

The American film industry is dominated by The

Big Six film studios.

Can you name them?

Warner Brothers
Paramount
20th Century Fox
Walt Disney Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Universal Pictures

What is the
combined North
American market
share of the Big
Six?
90%

WHO OWNS THE BIG SIX?

Warner Bros.
Time Warner (worlds 2nd largest media
conglomerate)
Paramount
Viacom (4th largest media conglomerate)
20th Century Fox
News Corp (3rd largest media conglomerate)

WHO OWNS THE BIG SIX?

Walt Disney Pictures
The Walt Disney Company (worlds largest media
conglomerate)

Columbia Pictures
Sony Corporation (5th largest media conglomerate)

Universal Pictures
GE (2nd largest company in the world) and
Comcast (largest telecommunications company in
the US)

OWNERSHIP AND THE AMERICAN

FILM INDUSTRY

The American film industry is dominated by 6 major

studios, each of which are subsidiaries of major media
conglomerates.
The American film industry makes more money from
international revenue ($30 billion) than domestic revenue
($10 billion).

What are the implications of this ownership structure?

Concentration of media ownership (bias, stealth marketing)

Ability to take bigger risks bigger budgets spectacle

Synergy

FILM AND BRITAIN

The film market in Britain is dominated by
American products.
American produced films account for 75% of the
total UK box office.
18 of the top 20 most successful films at the
British box office were produced by the Big Six
studios.
http://www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk/media/pdf/1/6/T
he_UK_box_office_in_2010_final_version_20Jan11.
pdf

OWNERSHIP AND GLOBALISATION

One effect of the concentration of media

ownership is that the global media market is
increasingly dominated by a small number of
Western (mostly American) conglomerates.

Do you think this is a positive or a negative?

OWNERSHIP AND THE UK FILM

INDUSTRY

What are the different types of institutions in the

British film industry?

Independent companies
Television Companies
Government bodies
Co-productions with Hollywood studios

FILM 4

What do you know about Film 4 in relation to:

The

structure of the company

How it funds and produces films (e.g. Submarine
How synergy is used

THIS IS ENGLAND

This is England is a good example of an independent

British production.
It was produced by 7 different companies including Film
Four, the UK Film Council, Warp Films, and Screen
Yorkshire.
I forgot when watching Shane Meadows moving
evocation of skinhead youth This is England at the
London Film Festival, how culturally specific its
opening montage might seemWhat will people
outside of Northern Europe make of the regalia of
1980s skinheads from the midlands? Hopefully they
will be intrigued. This Is England made me realise,
too, that some British films are at last doing exactly
what Sight and Sound has campaigned for; reflecting
aspects of British life gain and maybe suffering the
consequences of being harder to sell abroad. Nick
James, editor of Sight and Sound

Discuss the issues raised by media ownership

within a media area you have studied.
Relevant

to the question
Accurate factual knowledge
Specific examples
Terminology
Personal experience

ESSAY STRUCTURE

Introduction state your focus, argument, and

case studies.

Media Ownership general overview of key

issues relating to the film industry
American film industry using Disney to support
points you make explain implications of
ownership on institutions and audiences
British film industry contrast British film
industry using examples from Film Four

Conclusion sum up your argument, relate to

your own personal experience as a consumer