Sport and the Transnationalizing Media Corporation

Abstract

This article contributes to the understanding of how transnational media corporations enter, operate, and are structured in different national contexts. Specifically, it provides a detailed examination of News Corporation's use of sport as an instrument for successfully penetrating national television markets within the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The discussion is divided into 3 sections, focused on (a) the cultural and economic rationales underpinning News Corporation's use of sport as a core aspect of transnational television market entry strategies, (b) examples of News Corporation's use of sport programming to enter and manage local media markets, and (c) the changes wrought in News Corporation's organizational structure and focus resulting from its transnational sporting orientation.