Research Articles

Too Much or Not Enough? Competition Law and Television Broadcasting Regulation in the United Kingdom

Author: Paul Smith (De Montfort University, Leicester)

  • Too Much or Not Enough? Competition Law and Television Broadcasting Regulation in the United Kingdom

    Research Articles

    Too Much or Not Enough? Competition Law and Television Broadcasting Regulation in the United Kingdom

    Author:

Abstract

Using the United Kingdom as a case study, this article examines the application of competition regulation to the contemporary television industry. The article begins with a brief overview of the nature of competition law. It then moves on to consider the growing importance attached to competition regulation within the UK television industry. Using a range of recent examples, the main part of the article analyses the application of competition regulation to UK television broadcasting in four main areas, namely: (1) mergers and acquisitions; (2) monopoly/market dominance; (3) cartels; and (4) state aid and public service broadcasting. The article highlights two key points: first, the difficulty of applying competition law principles to the television industry, most notably in relation to key concepts, such as ‘market definition’ and the ‘abuse’ of market dominance; and, second, the inherently political nature of competition law.

Keywords: Ofcom, media plurality, marketization, market impact assessment, competition regulation, competition law

How to Cite:

Smith, P., (2017) “Too Much or Not Enough? Competition Law and Television Broadcasting Regulation in the United Kingdom”, Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture 9(3), 143-164. doi: https://doi.org/10.16997/wpcc.177

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Published on
13 Jun 2017
Peer Reviewed