The Global Sport Mass Media Oligopoly: The Three Usual Suspects and More

The current frenzy of megamergers and acquisitions creating giant media/entertainment conglomerates has been described in the sociology of sport literature as one of the key aspects of sport globalization processes now unfolding. In this literature three usual suspects are mostly pointed out: Disney...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International review for the sociology of sport 2002-12, Vol.37 (3-4), p.279-302
Main Authors: Law, Alan, Harvey, Jean, Kemp, Stuart
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Entertainment Industry
Mass Media
Multinational Corporations
Oligopolies
Professional Sports
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Summary:The current frenzy of megamergers and acquisitions creating giant media/entertainment conglomerates has been described in the sociology of sport literature as one of the key aspects of sport globalization processes now unfolding. In this literature three usual suspects are mostly pointed out: Disney, News Corp and AOL–Time Warner. This article argues that one must look beyond these in order to get a clearer picture of the emerging media/sport complex. By examining the corporate structure of six major media/entertainment conglomerates, this article reveals some of the intricacies of these holdings which unpack the ‘circuits of promotion’ being formed through media platforms and content convergence. Moreover, the analysis of these corporate holdings show how these competitors are also involved in several joint ventures that connect them together, thus forming a dense web despite their rivalries. The article concludes that unless democratic interventions are enabled at the national and global levels sport media consumers will remain easy targets of the global media/ entertainment oligopoly.
ISSN:1012-6902
1461-7218
DOI:10.1177/1012690202037004025