ABSTRACT
The practices of leading webcasters in the 17 markets or regions people present in illustrates how webcasting as an emerging medium is shaped by the media’s market environment. The accessibility-content-revenue framework serves as a productive analytical tool to examine the business models of webcasters. The size and population density of the market can be a facilitator or an obstacle to the development of webcasting adoption and broadband penetration. In markets with small geographic size but high population density, it is much more cost efficient to provide broadband services through either coaxial cables or digital phone lines. The political structure of a market can foster or hinder the growth of the webcast market and broadband services. In constitutional monarchies such as Denmark and Norway, or in the relatively authoritarian democracies in many Asia countries, the government takes an active role in promoting the internet or broadband services as a nation-building tool or economic growth trigger.
