Media Economics
Scholarship on media economics applies economic principles and theories to the study of organizations and industries engaged in communication. The traditional mass media—newspapers, television, film, magazines, books, and radio—have been the focus of much of the scholarship that media economists have produced. But the field also encompasses telecommunications and digital communications, along with associated industries such as advertising. Scholarship draws from microeconomic and macroeconomic theory, and much of it is informed by political-economic perspectives. Often the goal of media economists is to explain how economic forces shape media content, such as news and entertainment. Research has identified the structure of markets and the conduct of media organizations as two important factors that influence content. Ownership of media organizations and government regulation are other important domains of study.