Economic Analysis

Media economics is the application of economic theories and concepts to systematically analyze the media and communication industries. A wide range of industries are studied in media economics, from the traditional print media, music, filmed entertainment, radio, television, satellite broadcasting, telephony, cable, and broadband, to the relatively new mobile communication and social media sectors. Though rooted in economic analysis, it is by nature multidisciplinary and accommodates a wide range of theoretical inputs from fields as diverse as consumer psychology, legal and regulatory analysis, management, finance, and public policy studies. Methodologically, too, the inputs into media economics are quite diverse, from economic modeling, econometric analysis, game theory, financial analysis, and case studies. This entry surveys the various methods used in the study of media economics.