The Media Industry as a Catalyst for Economic Growth

The rapid development in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has enabled new media service forms, such as digital television, digital printing and cross media. On the other hand, it has also changed the value chain of the media industry and made the end product more modular. This, in turn, has enabled a decentralisation and outsourcing of the media processes. However, different companies may choose different competition strategies even in the same market situation. While some media companies concentrate on their core business and outsource as much as possible of their media production, others see managing the whole value chain as an important part of their strategy. The scope of this study was to analyse the structural changes in the media industry and allied branches, and to find the technology trends and business logics behind these changes. We also wanted to know whether the media sector could become an economic motor for other branches, e.g. by creating new Knowledge Intensive Business Services (KIBS). The project was carried out in close cooperation with eight Finnish companies representing both the media industry (printed and electronic media) and related branches, such as the forest industry, teleoperators and system suppliers. Although the approach angle was national, the value chain and the structural changes in the media business are today similar in most countries. The media branch is rapidly globalised. Therefore, most trends analysed here should be of interest also to an international audience of media experts.