Media Convergence and Monopoly

Media convergence describes several phenomena with differing relationships with monopoly and consumer culture. In relation to news media, it refers to mergers and acquisitions of press, radio, and television by large corporations and the consequent monopoly of news production and consumption.

Entertainment media convergence is also described as vertical integration, or global integration, and includes the convergence of news and entertainment to produce infotainment and the global reach of American entertainment media. The term is less commonly used to describe the convergence of media technologies such as Internet-capable game consoles and multiple-function mobile phones. More recently, and with considerable ramifications for monopoly and for consumers, media convergence refers to the blurring of production, distribution, and consumption practices on the Internet.

News media serve a central communicative function ...