"This will increase worries about global dominance by a handful of media giants.
'Who's pulling our strings?' will be a pressing concern.
National governments will be able to limit the share of domestic TV owned by a global company. But the company's planet-wide reach (on the Internet) will give it huge advantages over its smaller competitors in bidding for rights to show sporting programmes, for example, or in producing blockbuster programmes. Effective competition will come from global rivals. Companies in the middle will increasingly struggle. Will governments seek greater control over media giants through international agreements?
At the same time, individuals will be empowered in new ways. They will have more choice and more power. For example, internet-TV will create global audiences for niche programmes, turning highly specialised tastes into viable markets. Alongside your favourite soap, you will be able to watch a Chinese documentary on an obscure herbal medicine, a series of programmes for fans of MG sports cars and a broadcast from your neighbourhood.
Individuals will not have to rely on established news channels. Blogs for instance are now providing rival sources of information, and other options will emerge over the next 20 years. The existence of other possibilities will force media companies to be highly responsive to their audiences.
Collectively, individuals will have considerable influence over even the largest corporation because they will have so many alternatives. The interplay between media and individual will remain highly complex. "
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