Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

Audiovisual System Structure

Audiovisual System Structure
6
8007
1
Second semester
FB
Information and Knowledge Society
Estructura del sistema audiovisual
Main language of instruction: Spanish

Teaching staff


Dr. ROBERT AGELL, Francesc - frobert@uic.es

frobert@uic.es

Introduction

In this course, students will learn about the organization of the audiovisual market; they will identify the main subjects, companies, and institutions involved in commercial and communication relationships, as well as the political-legal, technological, socio-cultural, and economic circumstances that influence business activities. This reality will be analyzed from both an external perspective to audiovisual companies and an internal perspective, so that students understand the relationship between the structural factors of the media industry and the decisions made in the management and organization of communication companies.

The course content will be structured into five blocks, in which, in addition to reviewing the main theoretical foundations of media economics and the structure of the media system, detailed analysis will be conducted on the current trends in the external environment of each of the main markets and their influence on the different stages of the value chain of companies - production, distribution, marketing, and consumption - in each of these industries.

       

Pre-course requirements

This course does not have any prerequisites.

       

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.

Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme

  • 01 - The ability to adapt to varying circumstances
  • 02 - The ability to understand, accept criticism and correct errors
  • 03 - The ability to administer and manage human and technical resources
  • 04 - The ability to work in a team and autonomously
  • 05 - The ability to organise time and workspace
  • 06 - The ability to develop academic rigour, responsibility, ethics and professionalism
  • 07 - The ability to apply the deontology and respect for the audiovisual sector
  • 08 - The ability of critical analysis, synthesis, concretion and abstraction
  • 09 - The ability to objectify, quantify and interpret (data, statistics, empirical evidence…)
  • 10 - The ability to confront difficulties and resolve problems
  • 11 - The ability to generate debate and reflection
  • 12 - The ability to meet deadlines, develop the ability to be punctual and respect for human, technical and material resources
  • 13 - The ability to create spoken and written communication
  • 14 - Knowledge and mastery of rhetoric and oratory to communicate own ideas
  • 15 - Knowledge and mastery of body language and techniques for public speaking
  • 16 - The ability to manage, analysis and reflect on content
  • 17 - The ability to contextualize and critically analyze the events of social reality and to represent Contemporary History
  • 18 - The capacity and development of general culture and interest in social events
  • 21 - Knowledge and mastery of the digital culture
  • 23 - The ability to prioritize newsworthy events and contrast information
  • 24 - The ability to plan and organize both short term and long term projects
  • 26 - The ability to develop a sense of taste and perfection in the aesthetics and finalization of projects
  • 27 - The ability to adapt to distinct audio visual publics and markets.
  • 28 - Knowledge and mastery of principle economic concepts.
  • 29 - The ability to budget projects of differing magnitude
  • 30 - The ability to study the feasibility of an audiovisual product
  • 31 - The ability to understand the financial systems of media groups and companies.
  • 37 - The ability to contextualize and critically analyze the organizational structure of global communication
  • 38 - The ability to understand and apply the structure of the audiovisual system
  • 40 - The ability to defend and respect authorship and intellectual property
  • 41 - The ability to know how the distinct elemental agencies of the audio visual sector function
  • 50 - The ability to adapt, understand and apply the expressive possibilities of new technologies and future changes
  • 53 - Lingustic ability in Catalan, Spanish and English
  • 54 - The ability to skillfully manage the literature, terminology and linguistic structures of the English language related to the field of communication.

Learning outcomes of the subject

Al finalizar la asignatura, los alumnos estarán capacitados para:

  • Tener una visión global de los medios de comunicación de masas y del sistema comunicativo.
  • Entender el marco jurídico e institucional de los medios de comunicación.
  • Conocer el mapa de los principales grupos mediáticos.
  • Seguir las tendencias innovadoras en los distintos sectores de la comunicación.

Syllabus

1. Economy and Structure of the Audiovisual Market
This section delves into the fundamental concepts governing the sector's economic activity, analyzing how content production, distribution, and exhibition shape a market with unique characteristics, such as merit goods or economies of scale. PESTEL analysis will be used as a methodological tool to examine the external factors (political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal) conditioning the current ecosystem. Digital disruption will be studied not merely as a technological shift, but as a break from the classic paradigm that necessitates a revision of current regulations and a redefinition of the traditional value chain. Finally, corporate strategies (vertical, horizontal, and diagonal integration, as well as diversification) and the decisive influence of GAFAM and major global and local audiovisual groups in market control will be analyzed.
2. The Film Industry
The study of the film industry focuses on its competitive structure and the audiovisual regulatory framework, including screen quotas and subsidy policies. It will explore how digital transformation has radically altered the value chain, from virtual production to the crisis of traditional exhibition windows. The course will examine platformization—a phenomenon where large digital infrastructures (SVoD) dominate film financing and distribution, reconfiguring the relationship with the audience and intellectual property exploitation models.
3. The Television Industry and Streaming Platforms
This module traces the path from the traditional television model (broadcasting) to the current transformation scenario, marked by the constant growth of content production, distribution, and consumption on digital platforms. A distinction will be made between the primary market (original broadcasts and first-run rights) and the secondary market (syndication and international sales). The course will analyze new competing business models, where conventional advertising coexists with subscription systems (VOD), hybrid models, and fragmented consumption. It will examine how linear television adopts new strategies in an environment where users have total control over temporal flow and platforms increasingly occupy roles traditionally reserved for television.
4. The Video Game Industry
This point analyzes the video game sector as one of the most dynamic cultural industries, reviewing its evolution and scale as it has become a leisure industry giant. Various business models will be studied: from physical and digital sales to free-to-play, microtransactions, and subscription services. Furthermore, a specific analysis of the sector's industrial weight in Catalonia will be conducted, identifying the network of local studios, the capacity to attract international talent, and Barcelona's strategic role as a European industrial hub.
5. The Radio and Audio Industry
The transition from the traditional radio value chain based on the radio spectrum to its full digital transformation will be analyzed. The central concept will be the universalization of audio—a phenomenon known as the "audification" of the entire chain—where sound becomes independent of the radio receiver to integrate into all types of connected devices. The rise of podcasts as a new narrative and business format will be addressed, along with the role of on-demand audio platforms, which have redefined listener loyalty and new audience metrics.
6. The Music Industry
The final block examines the evolution of business models in the music industry, marked by a digital transformation that pioneered the disruption of physical sales patterns. Changes in distribution and consumption through streaming will be analyzed, as well as how this has altered the generation of rights and revenue for artists. Finally, live music (festivals, tours) will be highlighted as the fundamental pillar of the sector's economic sustainability today, becoming the primary asset in the face of the dematerialization of physical formats.      


Teaching and learning activities

In person



 

 

TRAINING ACTIVITY ECTS CREDITS
Focused Praxis. Handing in occasional exercises to learn theory through practice. 1.2
Meeting Point. Meetings will be organised with notable people from the professional and scientific fields or the international field, and students. These sessions will take the form of conferences, work sessions, discussions, or interviews, etc. 1.0
E-learning. Virtual learning based on ICT. 0.2
Practical workshop. A highly practical working activity, where students can acquire skills that are practical or also theoretical (intellectual skills, logical skills, critical skills, intellectual learning skills, study skills, quoting skills, etc). 0.4
Lectures. In lectures, lecturers/professors not only transmit content or knowledge, but also, and above all else, attitudes, motivation, skills and values, etc. They also ensure that participants can express their opinions and arguments to the other students. 3.0
Peer learning. The aim of this activity is to ensure that students gain the ability to analyse and be critical. One way of achieving this is by correcting their peers' exercises and results, etc. Each student will be evaluated twice: as both a recipient and a transmitter of critical knowledge. 0.2

Evaluation systems and criteria

In person



The different learning activities are designed with the aim of achieving the objectives and competencies previously outlined. In order to assess their achievement, the following criteria are established:

  • Examination on theoretical contents and bibliography: 50% of the final grade.

  • Practical activities: 40% of the final grade.

  • Class participation: 10% of the final grade.

Both the examination and continuous assessment must be passed in order to calculate the final average grade.

Regarding the second and subsequent examination sessions, the 50% practical work and 50% examination weighting will apply in the same way. New practical assignments will be set, equivalent to the teaching workload corresponding to 50% of the course.

In accordance with faculty regulations, the assessment will always include an initial stage of orthographic review. This level must be passed in order to successfully complete the corresponding examination or practical assignment. Faculty regulations regarding plagiarism and the fraudulent use of artificial intelligence will be strictly enforced.

Bibliography and resources

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Consell de l’Audiovisual de Catalunya. (2009). Quaderns del CAC (Núm. 31–32): Convergència tecnològica i audiovisual. https://www.cac.cat

Cunningham, S., Flew, T., & Swift, A. (2015). Media economics. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-46503-3

DeFillippi, R. (2024). Digital transformations in arts and entertainment. Journal of Creative Industries and Cultural Studies (JOCIS).

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Doyle, G. (2013). Understanding media economics (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.

Durán, J., & Sánchez, L. (Eds.). (2008). Industrias de la comunicación audiovisual. Publicacions i Edicions de la Universitat de Barcelona.

Evens, T., & Donders, K. (2018). Platform power and policy in transforming television markets. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74246-5

Fernández-Alonso, I., & Badia Masoni, Q. (2021). Políticas de medios y clientelismo: Beneficiarios de las campañas de publicidad institucional de la Generalitat de Cataluña (2007–2018). Revista de Estudios Políticos, 191, 325–346. https://doi.org/10.18042/cepc/rep.191.11

Hallin, D. C., & Mancini, P. (2008). Sistemas mediáticos comparados: Tres modelos de relación entre los medios de comunicación y la política. Hacer Editorial.

Han, L. (2024). The rise of digital media: Transforming communication, culture, and commerce. Global Media Journal, 22(72), 1–7. https://www.globalmediajournal.com/open-access/the-rise-of-digital-media-transforming-communication-culture-and-commerce.php?aid=95172

Hendricks, J. A. (2011). The twenty-first-century media industry. Lexington Books.

Hesmondhalgh, D. (2019). The cultural industries (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Izquierdo-Castillo, J. (2012). Distribución online de contenidos audiovisuales: Análisis de tres modelos de negocio. Profesional de la Información, 21(4), 385–390. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2012.jul.09

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Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2016). Dirección de marketing (15.ª ed.). Pearson Educación

Kotlińska, M. (2024). The influence of digital transformation on the evolution of the audiovisual industry. European Research Studies Journal, 27(S2). https://doi.org/10.35808/ersj/3314

Küng, L. (2017). Strategic management in the media. SAGE Publications.

Lotz, A. D. (2022). Netflix and streaming video. Polity Press.

Miguel de Bustos, J. C., & Izquierdo-Castillo, J. (2019). ¿Quién controlará la comunicación? El impacto de los GAFAM sobre las industrias mediáticas en el entorno de la economía digital. Revista Latina de Comunicación Social, 74, 803–821. https://doi.org/10.4185/RLCS-2019-1388

Mora-Figueroa, B. (2009). El mercado global de la comunicación. EUNSA.

Neira, E. (2020). Streaming wars: La nueva televisión. Timun Mas.

Pérez-Rufí, J. P. (2020). Estructura del mercado audiovisual en España: Apuntes para una introducción. Ria Editorial.

Pihir, I., & Kardašić, I. (2025). Digital transformation in the gaming industry. En Proceedings of the 36th International Scientific Conference: Central European Conference on Information and Intelligent Systems (CECIIS 2025) (pp. 259–266). University of Zagreb, Faculty of Organization and Informatics. https://archive.ceciis.foi.hr/public/conferences/2025/Proceedings/S5/8.pdf

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Robert-Agell, F., Justel-Vázquez, S., & Bonet, M. (2022). No habit, no listening. Radio and Generation Z: Snapshot of the audience data and the business strategy to connect with it. Profesional de la Información, 31(5). https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2022.sep.08

Tilson, D., Sørensen, C., & Lyytinen, K. (2013). Platform complexity: Lessons from the music industry. En Proceedings of the 46th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (pp. 4625–4634). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/HICSS.2013.449

UNESCO. (2022). Revenue distribution and transformation in the music streaming value chain. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. https://www.unesco.org/creativity/sites/default/files/medias/fichiers/2023/01/2-policy_perspectives_music_en-web.pdf

Wikström, P. (2020). The music industry (3rd ed.). Polity Press.

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Teaching and learning material


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