Media concentration in the Netherlands

Inge BrakmanCommissioner of the Netherlands Media Authority

14th European Television and Film Forum,

Barcelona, October 11th, 2002

The Netherlands Media Authority

PO Box 1426

1200 BK Hilversum

The Netherlands

phone: +31 35 7737700

Website: www.cvdm.nl

Media Concentration Monitor

Objective

• Supply information• Provide insight• Make statements

Media value chain

‘Content Creation’(journalist, producer)

Source

‘Content Delivery’(distribution)

‘Content Packaging’(publisher,broadcaster)

Media consumer

Information carriers

• Written media

• Broadcasting

• Electronic media

Concentration

• Ownership

• Editorial

• Horizontal, vertical and diagonal

Heterogeneity

• Diversity

• Plurality

Independence

• Editorial statute

• Originality

Autonomy• Own chief editor

• The use of external source

Accessibility

• Distribution

• Available

• Affordable

Number of newspaper publishers

0

5

10

15

20

25

Newspaper publishers(total)

National newspaperpublishers

Local newpaperpublishers

Special interestnewspaper publishers

1990 2001

Market shares of five biggest newspaper publishers

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

PCM uitgevers Telegraaf Holding Wegener NoordelijkeDagbladcombinatie

ReformatorischDagblad

mar

kets

har

e (i

n %

)

1990 2001

Plurality in newspaper market

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

1990 2001 2002

Ownership concentration in television

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1990 2001

Mar

kets

har

es (

in %

)

Public broadcasters HMG SBS Other suppliers Video

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

1990 1995 2000 2001

Nu

mb

er o

f in

dep

end

ent

tele

visi

on

ch

ann

els

Plurality in television

Television expenditures

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1990 (€283 million in total) 2001 (€681 million in total)

Public broadcasters Commercial broadcasters

Ownership concentration in radio in 2001

public broadcasters

31%

public regional broadcasters

15%

commercial broadcasters

54%

Plurality in radio

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

1990 2001

nu

mb

er o

f ch

ann

els

public broadcasters commercial broadcasters

Market shares of infrastructures in 2001

Satellite6%

Airwave3%

Cable91%

Market shares of cable companies in 2001

UPC39%

Essent29%

Casema23%

Multikabel6%

Zekatel3%

Recommendations • Continue monitoring• Apply market share thresholds• Monitor effects of ownership changes on diversity

and independence• Stimulate introduction of editorial statutes and

rules for proper distinction between commercials and content

• Guarantee independence of political influences• Stimulate diversity