Australien: Medienkonzentration und Medienregulierung

Australia has one of the world’s most concentrated media markets. Two major media conglomerates—Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. and the Fairfax Media/Nine Entertainment merger announced in 2018—control the lion’s share of the market, with the former owning more than half of Australia’s major titles. This article offers a forensic look at the Australian media landscape by providing an overview of major Australian outlets and their usage patterns. It focuses on the state of journalism, including the need to find a sustainable business model fit for the digital age. The chapter describes the role of social media, particularly “big tech” companies like Google and Facebook and their uneven power dynamics with major news publishers. It also focuses on critical moments and challenges faced by the media landscape and draws parallels to developments in countries elsewhere in the world.