As recognized in the PIDS Proposed Research Agenda 2020-2025 (2019), technological advancements result in changes in the economic landscape. New industries are born, some industries die, while others evolve. Thus, the intersection of competition policy and technological changes is an important issue that should be examined. Similarly, a cross-cutting strategy in Chapter 10 of the PDP 2023-2028 (NEDA 2022) is to promote competition and improve regulatory efficiency in and through the internet and digital technologies. Accordingly, the PDP stresses the importance of monitoring and understanding emerging technologies, markets, and business models and adopting policies to improve competition and regulatory efficiency in digital markets (NEDA 2022, p. 2017). Examining the media industry and the technological disruptions is also consistent with Chapter 7 of the PDP 2023-2028 (NEDA 2022) on reinvigorating services, specifically focusing on creative industries.
This study builds on previous PIDS research that examined competition issues along the internet (digital sector) value chain. The value chain (or web), as suggested in the literature, begins with content rights, followed by online services, the enabling technology & services, internet access connectivity, and finally, the user interface. Previous studies examined the internet access connectivity segment and digital platforms (Serafica and Oren 2022a, 2022b, 2023). The proposed study on the mass media industry will touch on some elements in the first three segments of the value chain.