Publisher's Synopsis
Many telecommunications companies are vertically integrating to control more stages in the production process. This book investigates in detail the economic and other social effects of vertical ownership ties between cable television system operators (such as Time-Warner and Telecommunications, Inc.) and cable programming suppliers (such as Turner Broadcasting).;Does vertical integration foster anti-competitive behaviour and raise barriers to entry - to the detriment of economic efficiency, programme diversity and the First Amendment? "Vertical Integration in Cable Television" investigates the empirical evidence in light of rival theories of the competitive effects of vertical integration.;In general, the authors conclude that government restraints on vertical integration in cable are ineffective or counterproductive to economic and other social objectives. Instead, the authors suggest that policy efforts should be focussed on reducing or containing the horizontal market power of cable system operators, at the local market and at the national level.
