Transnationalism and media groups in independent television production in the UK and Spain

Abstract

In recent years, the growth and consolidation of the independent television production industry has stirred up a great deal of media group interest in entering this market. Through an original sample of prime-time television programmes in the UK and Spain and in-depth interviews with practitioners, this article offers an empirically grounded analysis of the presence of media groups and the strategies developed in this industry, with a particular focus on synergies at the transnational level. The results show that production markets are dominated by national media groups, that there are few pan-European synergies, and that regulation plays a key role in defining this market.