Half of Britons concerned about rising US dominance in UK media
A YouGov survey of public sentiment toward British media has exposed a significant new faultline with half of those quizzed expressing concern at a rising tide of US takeovers in the sector.
Half of Britons concerned about rising US dominance in UK media
Commissioned by Matrix Solutions, a custom global ad sales platform for the media, the survey found 48% were dubious over American companies’ ability to properly cater for UK audiences, fearing a rising tide of generic and US-centric media.
A further 43% fret about a potential increase in the volume of adverts carried, despite Ofcom imposing strict upper limits on the volume of advertising allowable, highlighting the fact that not all fears are based in fact.
In addition 14% were concerned that the adverts they see may become less relevant under foreign ownership.
Mark Gorman, CEO at Matrix Solutions, said: “Media organisations undertaking or planning on undertaking M&A activity need to understand consumer attitudes on both sides of The Pond to create the best service for the most consumers. However, they also need to ensure that they have accurate understanding of ad revenues across all channels to remain competitive, which is even more important considering the market consolidation taking place at the moment.”
Comcast is currently locked in a bidding war with Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox to wrest full control of Sky, tabling an improved offer of $31bn and a pledge to invest in the UK in order to seal the deal.
The research was based on the survey responses of 2,117 UK adults carried out online between 4-5 September.
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