ABSTRACT
Subsidies constitute a prominent media-policy instrument, serving to correct media-market failures. However, because they interfere in the market, and because the commercial media market is under structural pressure in the digital age, there is much debate about the role of media subsidies. Within this context, this article revisits the foundation of media subsidies in certain developed democracies, aiming at qualifying the current discussions. Focusing on the Nordic countries, the article explores the connection between the social-democratic welfare-state regime and the extensive public frameworks for media subsidies found in this region. The article argues that even though continuity rather than disruption characterises the systems of direct and indirect subsidies, the current developments point towards a recalibration of the ways the Nordic countries subsidise media in the future.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1. Iceland is not part of this study.
2. Norway is not part of the European Union, which is the organisational body behind the single market. Through the EEA agreement, however, the country has adopted most of the EU legislation concerning the single market and is part of the trade cooperation (with the possibilities and constraints that come with it).
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Aske Kammer
Aske Kammer is Assistant Professor at The IT University of Copenhagen, where he researches the consequences of digitalisation on media policy and media economics.