Understanding Media Economics

Gillian Doyle's book provides a wide-ranging, accessible introduction to media economics and their application to a broad range of media topics from advertising and business models to copyright, audience demand and public policy. Whilst critical of the certainties and simplifications of economists, Doyle delivers not only a lucid overview of economic concepts like merit goods, deficit financing and economies of scope, but shows how these continue to be relevant and useful for understanding how media work. The book is alert to the disruptive effects of technology, but highlights the continuities between old and new media, and between economic certainties and media complexity. Some of the chapters could work as self-contained extracts for a seminar or specialist module (each chapter helpfully includes a list of learning outcomes), but the book perhaps works better as a single narrative, with recurrent themes and motifs. What's refreshing about the book is Doyle's willingness to move beyond the boundaries of media economics and forge connections with a diversity of topics, policies, practices and debates. The book is generous with its expertise, covering the basics for a non-specialist and providing up to date insights from current research for more advanced readers, intercut with interviews and examples from the industry. Throughout the book Doyle's experience as a teacher shines through, a reminder that the virtues of good teaching - clear structure, avoiding jargon, questioning received wisdom and providing the resources for readers to form their own opinions rather than expounding one's own - can also inspire good research.
Chris Bilton
Centre for Cultural Policy Studies, University of Warwick

In this accessible and thoroughly up-to-date book, Gillian Doyle expertly synthesizes economic theory and contemporary cases to both explain the structure of the contemporary media industry and shed insight on the significant challenges and controversies confronting the sector. A hugely valuable resource.
Lucy Küng
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Oxford University, and Jonkoping University, Sweden