Hot Topic - Mediaset, Mondadori, Fininvest, Silvio Berlusconi
It is always best, we have learned, to take with a grain of salt any “breaking news” headline. OK, a barrel of salt. Maybe a boat-load of salt. We must temper the excitement no matter how, well, exciting.
Ad spending growth rates have long correlated with GDP growth rates, a lagging variable say the economists. Through the last decade TV ad spending led GDP growth, partly on the collapse of print advertising. That bubble has lost its lift. The worrying possibility of a disconnect appears to be another digital dividend.
Getting money from the web is no longer about simply selling ads. There’s branded content, merchandising, talent management, all kinds of goodies. Multiple revenue streams excite investors, traditional ad money so last century. The quest for scale, however, is eternal.
The air between traditional and new media is both rousing and scary. One is powered by legacy, the other by change. These are strong instincts, in their own right. Different languages are spoken, time measured by the clock or the deal. Asset value descends from the great void rather than shelf life.
The digital age has changed everything; trite, now, but still true. Broadcasting and publishing are so last century, when engaging each individual customer was considered déclassé. The media sphere is now strictly retail; apps as aisles, clicks and swipes the points-of-purchase. Stars are now showcases, changing regularly, and headlines point to the check-out line. It’s a different business every day.
With short attention spans and an anxious nature investors don’t need a lot of input for buy-sell decisions. The digital era has given them many tools. And they certainly like betting on change. They only need be right 51% of the time so the slightest nudge sets them off.
Reordering the media world is taking a pace, if not dimension, only a few saw coming. Opportunity is created in all this disruption, certainly for the few most nimble or most lucky. Unease is palpable among those trying to make ends meet or trying to meet the end. The spotlight follows the most important actors, at least until the curtain falls.
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Media in Spain - Diverse and Challenged – new
Media in Spain is steeped in tradition. yet challenged by diversity. Publishers hold great influence, broadcasters competing. New media has been slow to rise and business models for all are under stress. Rich in language and culture, Spain's media is reaching into the future and finding more than expected. 123 pages, PDF. January 2018
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The Campaign Is On - Elections and Media
Elections campaigns are big media events. Candidates and issues are presented, analyzed and criticized in broadcast and print. Media is now more of a participant in elections than ever. This ftm Knowledge file reports on news coverage, advertising, endorsements and their effect on democracy at work. 84 pages. PDF (September 2017)
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Fake News, Hate Speech and Propaganda
The institutional threat of fake news, hate speech and propaganda is testing the mettle of those who toil in news media. Those three related evils are not new, by any means, but taken together have put the truth and those reporting it on the back foot. Words matter. This ftm Knowledge file explores that light. 48 pages, PDF (March 2017)
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