Media Ownership and Digital Markets Policy Since Brexit: Bringing the UK and the EU Closer Apart?
This article examines current public policy debate over UK media ownership rules and digital markets policy in the context of Brexit and recovery of control over its domestic regulatory framework. It addresses questions regarding the extent to which Brexit has altered regulatory approaches to media...
Enregistré dans:
| Udgivet i: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/osb, |
|---|---|
| Hovedforfatter: | |
| Format: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Sprog: | Anglais |
| Udgivet: |
Observatoire de la société britannique
2026
|
| Fag: | |
| Online adgang: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Summary: | This article examines current public policy debate over UK media ownership rules and digital markets policy in the context of Brexit and recovery of control over its domestic regulatory framework. It addresses questions regarding the extent to which Brexit has altered regulatory approaches to media concentration, how post-Brexit policy agendas are reshaping ownership rules, and what consequences these shifts may have for media plurality and diversity within a rapidly evolving digital environment. This study relies mainly on parliamentary sources, including debates, select committee reports, and policy papers, as they provide authoritative, traceable evidence of government reasoning and legislative intent, and thereby offer insight into the political and institutional dynamics shaping media ownership policy in the context of Brexit. The first part of this article examines the implications of post-Brexit regulatory autonomy from the EU, focusing on how this shift has shaped UK policy decisions regarding media-related alignment and divergence. The second part explores recent and ongoing post-Brexit strategies, analysing how the UK seeks to balance its pursuit of regulatory independence in the media sector with the need to maintain constructive relations with the EU in areas such as media mergers and digital market governance. This study concludes that although the UK has made progress, and is still in the process of reforms relating to the media merger regime and digital market sphere, there remain meaningful policy gaps, particularly on media freedom from a rights-based citizen’s perspective. It is stressed that the UK has yet to fully recognize that plurality serves not just consumers but citizens and that media plurality needs to be reframed in terms of citizens’ democratic and communication rights. |
|---|