Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Audiovisual Industry
Other languages of instruction: English, Spanish,
Teaching staff
An appointment must be arranged in advance via email.
frobert@uic.es
Introduction
In this course, students will learn how the audiovisual market and information industries are organized, and will identify the main agents, companies, and institutions involved in commercial and communication activities, as well as the political, legal, technological, sociocultural, and economic factors that influence their operations. This reality will be analyzed from both an external and an internal perspective of media companies and organizations, enabling students to understand the relationship between the structural factors of the industry and the decisions made in the management, organization, and operation of these entities.
The course also introduces many of the fundamental concepts that will help students understand how the audiovisual and journalistic sectors function, sectors in which they are expected to develop their future professional careers. The course content will therefore provide a conceptual and analytical framework for interpreting the business, institutional, economic, and social dynamics that shape these fields.
The course content is structured into seven modules. In addition to reviewing the main theoretical foundations of media economics and the structure of the media and audiovisual system, the course will examine in detail the current trends shaping the external environment of the main audiovisual markets and information industries, as well as their influence on the different stages of the value chain of companies and organizations: content production, distribution, commercialization, dissemination, and consumption.
Pre-course requirements
No.
Objectives
The general objective of this course is for students to achieve a deep understanding of the complexity and peculiarity of the structure of the audiovisual industry. This understanding is necessary to navigate the confrontations between professional and economic interests that occur in the audiovisual system. This knowledge can help future professionals navigate the audiovisual market and make the necessary decisions to create high-quality products that also achieve the profitability required for audiovisual companies to be viable.
Syllabus
- Basic economic concepts of the audiovisual and information sectors.
- Content production, distribution, and exhibition.
- Characteristics of audiovisual markets: merit goods, economies of scale, and economies of scope.
- PESTEL analysis: political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal factors.
- Impact of digital disruption on regulation and the value chain.
- Transformation of production, distribution, and consumption models.
- Corporate strategies: vertical, horizontal, and diagonal integration, and diversification.
- Role of GAFAM, major media groups, and digital platforms.
- Structure and functioning of information industries.
- News organizations, news agencies, and media groups.
- Economic characteristics of information and the social role of journalism.
- Information as both a public good and a commercial product.
- Information value chain: selection, production, verification, distribution, and consumption.
- Business models: advertising, subscriptions, paywalls, memberships, and sponsored content.
- Corporate concentration and dependence on technology platforms.
- Decline of traditional advertising and changing news consumption habits.
- Disinformation, algorithms, audience data, and AI applications in journalism.
- Editorial independence and the economic sustainability of media outlets.
- Competitive structure of the film sector.
- Audiovisual regulation: screen quotas, subsidies, and support policies.
- Digital transformation of the value chain.
- Virtual production and changes in traditional release windows.
- Platformization and the growing importance of SVoD services.
- New financing, production, and distribution models.
- Impact on audience relationships and intellectual property exploitation.
- Evolution from traditional television to the digital ecosystem.
- Differences between primary and secondary markets.
- Growth of digital platforms and on-demand consumption.
- Business models: advertising, subscriptions, SVoD, and hybrid approaches.
- Adaptation of linear television to consumers with greater control over viewing.
- Television news organizations and public and private news services.
- Organization, costs, and commercialization of news production.
- Transformation of journalistic formats in multiplatform environments.
- Competition with social media, aggregators, and digital content creators.
- Video games as one of the leading cultural and entertainment industries.
- Evolution and economic scale of the sector.
- Business models: physical and digital sales, free-to-play, microtransactions, and subscriptions.
- Downloadable content (DLC) and digital monetization.
- Importance of the sector in Catalonia.
- Local development studios and the attraction of international talent.
- Strategic role of Barcelona as a European video game hub.
- Digital transformation of radio and its value chain.
- Universalization of audio and consumption through connected devices.
- Growth of podcasts as a new narrative and business format.
- On-demand audio platforms and new forms of audience engagement.
- Audience metrics and loyalty strategies.
- Revenue models: advertising, sponsorship, subscriptions, and branded content.
- Radio companies and news services.
- Newsroom organization and information production costs.
- Integration of broadcast, websites, social media, and podcasts.
- Adaptation of journalistic content to multiplatform consumption.
- Evolution of business models in the music industry.
- Impact of digitalization and streaming.
- New models of music distribution and consumption.
- Transformation of rights management and revenue sharing.
- Relationships between artists, producers, record labels, publishers, and platforms.
- Growing importance of live music.
- Festivals, concerts, and tours as major revenue sources.
- Live music as a key pillar of the industry's economic sustainability.
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
The different learning activities are designed to achieve the objectives and competencies outlined above. To assess their achievement, the following criteria are established:
- Examination covering theoretical content and bibliography: 50% of the final grade.
- Practical assignments: 50% of the final grade. This includes class participation.
- Students must pass both the examination and the continuous assessment in order for the final average grade to be calculated.
Regarding the second examination session and any subsequent resits, the 50% practical work and 50% examination weighting will remain unchanged. New practical assignments equivalent to the workload corresponding to 50% of the course will be assigned.
In accordance with the Faculty regulations, assessment will always include an initial stage of spelling and language review. Students must pass this requirement in order to pass the corresponding examination or practical assignment. In addition, Faculty regulations regarding plagiarism and the fraudulent use of artificial intelligence will be applied rigorously.
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