- Home
- A-Z Publications
- Journal of Digital Media & Policy
- Previous Issues
- Volume 11, Issue 1, 2020
Journal of Digital Media & Policy - Volume 11, Issue 1, 2020
Volume 11, Issue 1, 2020
- Editorial
-
- Articles
-
-
-
Policy alignment in the European audio-visual sector: A small-market perspective from Estonia
Authors: Ulrike Rohn and Henry LoeserThe policy changes in the reform of the EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) and implementation the digital single market (DSM) have recently been a major topic of debate among policy-makers and stakeholders alike. The European Commission (EC), through its various online publications, has sought to inform this discourse and promote acceptance of the reforms by communicating numerous benefits of the proposed new policy. Deploying a mixed-methods approach, our research examines the benefits of policy reform promised by EC online publications, how these proposed benefits are evaluated by industry stakeholders in Estonia, and if the two are aligned. By our definition, policy can be in alignment with industry stakeholders when it accurately addresses their values, needs and priorities. In detail, the research looks at how each of the proposed benefits aligns with what industry stakeholders in Estonia see as important for the audio-visual industry in general, important for their own professional interests, whether a policy change was needed, and finally whether they think that a policy change would be effective. Though a wealth of research can be found about the impact of policies on stakeholders, our article queries those stakeholders about their views, and addresses a perceived gap in existing research on the alignment of policy.
-
-
-
-
Ireland, broadcasting and the spectrum wars
More LessThis article offers an overview and evaluation of Ireland’s changing media landscape through the prism of the recent policy contestation surrounding the future use of the UHF spectrum and its implications for the medium of television broadcasting. The article brings into focus current policy and governance developments and their interplay with market and technological change and how they are shaping a small open European state’s adaptation to the increasingly complex national/global hybrid media ecosystem. It examines the contexts surrounding the competition for spectrum resources and its implications for the role of free-to-air broadcasting and mobile broadband technologies in the future delivery of media and communication services. It takes a political economy and institutionalist perspective to evaluate the extent to which the evolution of the Irish institutional framework regarding broadcasting and broadband development and the allocation of spectrum frequencies is shaped by broader political economic and political/institutional dynamics and what this means for the remediation of broadcasting within the evolving digital media ecology.
-
-
-
Transition to digital television in Nigeria: Challenges and promises
More LessThe article examines the implementation and the challenges of the ongoing digital switchover (DSO) process in Nigeria. The critique of the neo-liberal orthodoxy presents the interplay of interests between political and corporate actors existing within the political economy of the Nigerian digital television environment. It also presents the effect of the existing complexities with the policy framework and approach to the implementation of the DSO process in Nigeria. The two qualitative research methods adopted in this study, communication policy analysis and in-depth interviews, examine the direction of policies and the individual experience of selected participants involved in the DSO process in Nigeria. Drawing on the analysis, inclusive of other factors, the study argues that the implementation of the DSO process in Nigeria has been delayed due to financial limitation, the exclusive approach to implementation and policy-burdened intervention of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC).
-
-
-
The impact of citizen journalism engagement in Indonesian television on citizen journalists and society: A case study of the NET Citizen Journalist (NET CJ) programme
Authors: Asty Rastiya and HendriyaniCitizen journalism in television in Indonesia has flourished in the past decade, with two national commercial companies broadcasting citizen programme on occasion and three stations engaging in ongoing citizen journalism initiatives. This article uses a case study of Indonesia’s NET Citizen Journalist (NET CJ) programme to study perspectives of citizen journalists about the impact of citizen journalism in television on themselves and their society. Surveys and interviews with active CJ members indicated that collaboration between citizen journalists and television networks democratizes information by allowing a wider range of people to share information and perspectives, and drives positive changes in citizen’s surroundings and self-development in terms of knowledge and skills in news video production. However, potential negative side-effects are the high risk of being sued by injured parties and dissatisfaction about limited opportunities to have community videos broadcast on television.
-
-
-
House of Lords Communications Committee: Public service broadcasting in the age of video on demand
More LessThis article is my response to the House of Lords Communications Committee Inquiry on ‘Public service broadcasting in the age of video on demand’, which was carried out in 2019. The inquiry was important and relevant as the successful UK public service broadcasters (PSBs) BBC, ITV, C4, C5 and S4C are currently facing major challenges from video-on-demand (VoD) services. These challenges primarily concern competition for content from VoD services in a highly competitive broadcasting market characterized by shifts in audience behaviour. Audiences are watching less scheduled TV as they are attracted by the business model of global streaming services like YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. Fierce competition from mainly US-based, unregulated global VoD players investing billions of pounds in content has escalated programming costs and made it difficult for tightly regulated PSBs with modest domestic UK budgets to compete. This article is largely in favour of sustaining properly funded, universally available PSBs, who can deliver quality and original programming, alongside impartial and trusted news in the era of fake news and post-truth politics.
-
- Book Reviews
-