Industries: Ownership & Control

COMCAST

• Comcast own many brands such as NBC, Illumination, Focus Features, Dreamworks, Universal, The Weather Channel and E!
• An example of vertical integration is Universal Studios, Universal Music and Universal Films and an example of horizontal integration would then be NHL and the weather channel which aren't related to the film industry.
• An example of synergy would be TV crossovers, similar TV genres and animation styles or Theme parks and merchandise involving characters from their Entertainment companies such as Minions from the despicable me trilogy.
• Diversification comes in the form of streaming and Comcast's decision to buy part of Hulu to expand its presence in modern media.

Do you agree that governments should prevent media conglomerates from becoming too dominant?

• Governments should be strict and ensure that media conglomerates don't dominate the social atmosphere since it can be detrimental to businesses by eliminating the competitive market as well as causing an influx of propaganda opportunity and lack of variety within the market for consumer pleasure however the detrimental impacts are not guaranteed and the government could abuse regulatory power to ensure the same impacts occur however this time with themselves in the dominant position - by ensuring media conglomerates don't become too dominant they can perpetuate anti-media ideologies, conspire to create moral panics and in turn be detrimental for the media market and cause biased views. I personally agree that the government should prevent the dominance of media conglomerates from being too influential and having too much power due to the risk of decreasing cultural capital available to consumers as well as the economic risks.

Briefly describe the production, promotion and distribution process for media companies.

• PRODUCTION; provides audiences with what they want 
• PROMOTION; researches and identifies the target audience and uses appropriate marketing strategies to get interest them in the product
• DISTRIBUTION; uses the most efficient and appropriate methods to get the product to audience with easy accessibility 

What are the different funding models for media?

• License fee (BBC)
• Sales of merchandise (BBC, Sony,)
• Advertisers (ITV)
• Programme Sponsorship (ITV)
• Subscription fees (SKY)
• Sponsorship (Themailonline)
• Money for longevity of stay (Themailonline)

Disney

• Disney is a global family-friendly brand and has a reputation amongst their audience for their animation and characters and can be easily identified through iconic logos and it owns Marvel entertainment which owns Marvel Studios therefore branching the animated, family friendly brand into a more in demand sector of Hollywood Blockbuster movies.

Google

• Google has a dominant place on the online market and has revolutionised the way we can listen to music, access resources and view moving image sources of entertainment and information.

Amazon

• They now create, produce and broadcast their own shows through Prime making it increasingly more difficult for traditional media outlets to adapt to a growing streaming market and as an established company this has allowed Amazon to front the changes required for the future within the media industry

What examples are provided of the new business models media companies have had to adapt to due to changes in technology and distribution?

• the music industry now makes it's money through merchandise, music, live shows and sponsorship meaning artists now sign a '360 deal' instead of just the rights to their music.
• the movie industry is investing money on 3D technology to help boost the sales of cinema tickets
• the bbc is reconsidering its funding structure and adapting it since on demand viewing is rising in popularity
• some online newspapers require audiences or subscriptions to access their content or premium content to people who buy mobile apps
• advertisers sponsor youtube stars or use targeted online marketing techniques to advertise their products due to the rise in difficulty to advertise in the traditional markets

What examples are there of technology companies becoming major media institutions?

• Amazon, Facebook, Google and Yahoo

Do you agree with the view that traditional media institutions are struggling to survive?

• Traditional media institutions are, from my perspective, not at as big of a risk as it may seem. Adapting to conform to today's digital revolutions and movements is economically and socially beneficial however there are still markets for traditional media institutions to benefit greatly from such as older generations and print newspapers as well as BBCs place in the global media market with live viewing of cult tv shows still being attended to regularly. 

How might diversification or vertical integration help companies to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing media landscape?

• Diversification allows companies to stay current with the changing markets for maximum economic gain from consumers as well as ensuring they have status and allows products to be enjoyed on a wider wavelength. Vertical integration allows one company to have control over all aspects of the production and distribution process so their profits will go up allowing them to invest more on adapting their resources to compete with the growing popularity of digital media as well as revolutionary innovations within moving image media and technology.

How do you see the relationship between the audience and institution in the future?

• Audiences have growing power over media institutions and how they change, evolve and what content they put out. For example, Marvel movies will conform to cliches and targeting an audiences shock factor for profit and if the audience no longer complies with this expectation it'll force Marvel to make a directorial decision to change these dominant aspects of the movies. I believe that synergy between audience and institution is vital in the modern technology climate with innovations and revolutionary changes happening at an accelerated pace, it is important that traditions are preserved and that institutions don't lose focus on significant aspects of the industry in order to appease overwhelmingly juxtaposed audiences found on the online community. I think there's always been heavy reliance on the influence of the institution however due to the focus on economical gain and how adapting to new technologies will aid companies in maximising profit, this power balance may become disjointed with the majority being in the audiences hands.