INDUSTRY SECTOR

BROADCASTING & MEDIA

Regulatory, commercial and technological changes are creating fresh regulatory challenges and opportunities throughout the media sector.  In the UK, the Communications Act 2003 marks an important development in the regulation of the UK media sector, with the creation of a unified regulator (Ofcom) and a stronger emphasis on competition.

Careful economic analysis is especially important in the media sector, where market power frequently occurs, in both content and infrastructure markets, and where competition and efficiency goals need to be complemented by wider "public interest" concerns.  A clear conceptual framework, based on rigorous economics, is necessary to guarantee consistency between regulatory objectives and policy responses.

Europe Economics conducted a major study for DG Competition of the European Commission on market definition in the media sector, providing both a conceptual framework and practical guidance in this important area of analysis.  The firm has also advised a regulatory authority on the role of ex ante regulation to protect competition in the commercial television sector.  In both these projects, and in studies for industry clients, Europe Economics has developed and used a range of innovative solutions to the analytical challenges that the media sector presents.