Audiovisual Regulation under Pressure: Comparative Cases from North America and Europe

The book is an interdisciplinary investigation of trends in audiovisual regulation. The book considers recent trends towards deregulation and for policy in this field to pursue trade and industry policy goals rather than traditional cultural and democratic objectives, notably media pluralism and diversity. This book explores regulatory policy in the following jurisdictions: the United States, Canada, France, Germany, the UK, the #xE2;#xAC;#xDC;Benelux#xE2;#xAC;" countries, and the European Union and compares the very different responses to the issues of liberalisation, deregulation and the attainment of cultural objectives. In looking at these issues the book focuses on a range of instruments designed for promoting pluralism and cultural diversity, particularly the role of public service broadcasting and the range of culturally protectionist measures available, such as subsidies, scheduling and investment quotas, as well as (particularly national) media ownership rules. In comparing regulation in different jurisdictions the book will lead to a better understanding of the path dependencies in cultural policy measures as applied to audiovisual media, but also a greater knowledge of the pressures of regulatory competition and the profound technological changes that call for new regulatory design.