Research Articles
Too Much or Not Enough? Competition Law and Television Broadcasting Regulation in the United Kingdom
Author:
Paul Smith
De Montfort University, Leicester
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.
How to Cite:
Smith, P., 2013. Too Much or Not Enough? Competition Law and Television Broadcasting Regulation in the United Kingdom. Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture, 9(3), pp.143–164. DOI: http://doi.org/10.16997/wpcc.177
Published on
01 Dec 2013.
Peer Reviewed
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