THE ECONOMICS OF TELEVISION REGULATION - A SURVEY WITH APPLICATION TO AUSTRALIA

The analysis of the regulation of television poses a number of challenges to economists. Because the structure and organization of television broadcasting are rarely the same between any two countries, there are difficulties in applying the economic analysis of television regulation in one country to that of another Further, the major social and cultural role of television causes government broadcasting policy to include many non-economic objectives. This paper outlines the main issues concerning the economic regulation of television and relates the prominent literature in the area to the Australian broadcasting environment.