ABSTRACT
This chapter, the author suggests that digital technologies and the rise of ‘web 2.0’ has raised new questions about media and offers interesting opportunities to produce original research. It also encompasses a consideration of the production and distribution of the media at a global level – extending the approaches to business and regulation. The chapter explores the realms of information and entertainment, examining a range of media content and platforms. One of features of the landscape of media businesses in a capitalist economy is that of competition. Media organisations compete with each other for audiences, sales and other revenue streams, such as advertising and data collection, in order to generate return on their investment and in order to maximise and deliver profits to shareholders. Of course, the revenue achieved from a commodity is not the only factor to consider in media businesses. Of equal importance in balancing income and outgoings, in order to post profits, are the costs of production.
