Film IndustryBy Bethany Bouchareb

Media Conglomerates

A conglomerate is a group of businesses which has a lot of money within the field of media which they put into film production companies, they also market their film through their other companies, this is known as synergy.

Media Ownership

Massive multinational media companies own many things and this is known a media ownership. With their media companies they own:

Film studios

TV Stations

Record Labels

Magazines

Newspapers

Books

Internet Platforms

Independents

Some producers do not work in a massive multinational media company, instead they use smaller outfits.

The British do this a lot, for example, the BBC or Film 4.

Media Ownership Companies

There are 5 major companies which dominate media ownership within the UK, in reference to the film industry.

• United International Pictures

• Warner Bros

• Buena Vista

• 20th Century Fox

• Sony

British Film Industry

There are various different types of institutions in the UK :

• Independent companies

• Television companies

• Government bodies

• Co-productions with Hollywood studios

Media Ownership

Two or more types of media coming together= Media Convergence

Different elements of a company working together to promote related products= Synergy

A company which produces two or more types of media= Cross Media Ownership

A large parent company which owns a range of smaller companies= Conglomerate

Smaller companies owned by a parent company= Subsidiary

When the marker is dominated by a small number of companies= Oligopoly

Concentration

Global media market is increasingly dominated by a small number of Western (mostly American) conglomerates

Film & New Media Technology

New technology has made it possible for anyone to make and present films, e.g. YouTube.

We can watch films on new technology such as phones, games consoles, TV on demand.

Also through the use of new technology we have the ability to see films in 3D from the comfort of our own homes or on TV screens with HD.

What we can watch films on…

Smart phones

MP4 players

Portable games consoles

Laptops

Games consoles at home

PC

Home cinema