78180 Converging Media Industries: Regulatory Challenges

Description

This subject addresses the challenge of regulating the media when the media business has fundamentally changed. Changes in technology and the growth of digital delivery have meant that established means of regulating the media are under strain because of innovation and changes in audience expectations and behaviour. Media regulation has traditionally been siloed and platform-based. Broadcast media are presently regulated by statute, the press by self-regulation and online and digital media by little specific regulation at all.

Several recent inquiries have attempted to address this asymmetrical approach to media regulation in an increasingly converged environment. This subject examines cross-jurisdictional efforts in proposals for regulatory reform. In Australia, the Finkelstein Review, the Convergence Review and the Classification Review addressed the challenge of changed media practice. In the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Singapore, government agencies also engaged in scoping for reform.

Media convergence changes the regulatory paradigm. The focus shifts from platforms to ubiquitous content and from regulating technology to serving the interests of audiences wherever they read, watch or listen. Audiences are no longer passive but interactive with audience engagement and contribution forming part of the media's value proposition.

Students explore the legal and regulatory consequences of a converged media space. If the existing regulatory framework is inadequate and its purpose and reach require review, students reflect on principles and practices whereby appropriate cross-platform regulation could be put in place. Where appropriate, this subject makes use of comparative analyses with particular reference to the convergence reviews in Australia, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Singapore. Students become equipped to think and work more effectively in a converged media environment.