From Satellite to Single Market - New Communication Technology and European Public Service Television (Hardcover, New)

In 1982 satellite broadcasters delivered the first pan-European television services to European viewers. European Unionists saw in this new communication technology a means of eroding national differences and uniting a fragmented continent, while others saw satellite television as a malign force which threatened to destroy European public service broadcasting. Satellite television also introduced competition and commercial services to television markets previously controlled by monopoly public service broadcasters. With the assistance of the European Broadcasting Union, public broadcasters launched their own public service channels - Eurikon, Europa, Eurosport and Euronews - as alternatives to commercial satellite television. This text explores television's role in fostering European cultural identity and the extent to which European public service broadcasters were able to meet the challenges posed by the introduction of new communication technologies. It is based on extensive primary research, interviews with participants and analysis of key European programmes. The book documents the lessons learned by public broadcasters, their alliance with Rupert Murdoch's commercial Sky netw