The Introduction of Commercial Broadcasting to Europe

The European media landscape changed radically with the advent of private and the decentralization processes of broadcasting. Most Western European countries liberalized their broadcasting sectors in the 1980s and 1990s by adapting regulations and authorizing private operators alongside public broadcasters. The deregulation of radio and television coincided in time with technological developments both in the transmission systems and in the tools used for production, reproduction, and reception. The expansion of cable networks, the emergence of satellites, the introduction of portable video cameras and the consolidation of video cassette recorders (VCRs) were breakthroughs that transformed the European media landscape and led to variations in television consumption. The analysis of the beginnings of commercial television in different countries shows dissimilar processes. Still, the questioning of public monopolies came from the private sector that sought to profit from the emerging advertising market, and from social movements that denounced the instrumentalization and manipulation of media by political parties and economical groups in power.