Economics: Ownership and Competion

The ways newspapers developed as products for readers was influenced by their costs and financing, forms of ownership and market competition. This chapter explores the economics of print and online news publishing in Britain and Ireland from 1900 to 2018 and examines the patterns of ownership, concentration and competition in the national, regional and local newspaper markets. The chapter explores the relationship between the financing of the press, market competition and ownership patterns and shows how these have mutually influenced provision. The chapter integrates original analysis of primary and secondary sources and draws on the author’s research on media and advertising relationships to trace the significance of advertising subsidy for publications, up to contemporary challenges, including falling ad revenues for print, and business responses including advertiser sponsored content. The chapter also provides original table data setting out newspaper ownership and circulation for the period.