FINDING Learning Technologies: Transmitting or Transforming Education?

This study reviews theoretical approaches of media concentration, examines the domination of two media conglomerates, the United Communications Group (UCG) and the Eastern Multimedia Group (EMG), over Taiwanʹs cable industry, and analyzes the market situation under their operation. The study reveals that UCG and EMG engage not only in horizontal integration, but also in vertical integration. As of early 1999, among the existing 105 cable systems and 100 cable channels, UCG and EMG owned 62 systems and controlled 40 channels; i.e., they held 60 per cent of Taiwanʹs cable systems and 40 per cent of the channel market share. These two figures for 1999 are up 49 per cent and 10 per cent respectively from1997. Afterinvestigating ownership concentration and conglomeration, which has occurred in Taiwanʹs cable market, the study concludes that Taiwanʹs cable industry is dominated by UCG and EMG, and its future development and their further influences need to be carefully explored.