Where one company owns all of the stages of production of media products – for example a company owning a film production studio, and the cinema where the film is shown.
Horizontal integration
Where one company diversifies to own more types of media – e.g. when a film production company also gets into book publishing.
Lateral expansion or diversification
When media companies branch out into non media areas – e.g. Virgin Media getting into trains and insurance.
Global Conglomeration
Where companies in one country buy up companies in other countries. News Corp, for example, owns media outlets in several different countries.
Synergy
Where a media product is sold in several different forms – often as a form of marketing. For example, a company produces a film for cinema, then a DVD, a T.V. spin off series, a sound track for download, maybe a cartoon strip and some action figures too.
Technological convergence
Where traditional media companies link with IT companies to make sure their media products are available across several different devices.
