Global Media and Internet Concentration

The massive expansion of internet-based journalism and digital platforms on a global scale has revived an old question: Has the number of players, and thus the concentration of power and reach in the media industries, individually and collectively, increased or decreased over time?

The international Global Media & Internet Concentration Project (GMICP), led by Prof. Dwayne Winseck (Carleton University, Ottawa), examines this question by analyzing two dozen communication, internet and media markets in almost 40 countries.

Once the reports and data sets are completed, they will be published.

The common market definitions and methodologies used by all participating country teams should enable accurate country comparisons.

The HBI, led by Tobias Mast, has been responsible for collecting the data and preparing the reports for Germany since spring 2023 and is expected to continue this work until 2028. Dr. Hendrik Theine is involved in the project as an external researcher, together with research assistants Lukas Barbutev (Universität Hamburg) and Josefine Spannuth (Carleton University).

Project Researchers at HBI: Dr. Tobias Mast and Lukas Barbutev.

Project details

Overview

Start of the term: 2024; End of term: 2028

Research programme: RP 2 Regulatory Structures and the Emergence of Rules in Online Spaces

Persons involved

Third-party funder

Carleton University Ottawa

Co-operation partners

Contact person

Tobias Mast

Dr. Tobias Mast

Senior Researcher "Regulatory Structures and the Emergence of Rules in Online Spaces"

Leibniz Institute for Media Research, Hans-Bredow-Institut
Warburgstraße 30b
20354 Hamburg

Additional information

Similar projects & publications

Publikation Open Access Publication

Determinants of Verification Behavior in Generative Search

Generative AI is being increasingly integrated into search engines, but it has been criticized for producing content that sounds plausible yet is sometimes inaccurate. Little is currently known about the factors that prompt users to verify these responses. The study by Eva-Luise Knor, Michael V. Reiss, Judith Möller, and Lisa Merten addresses this knowledge gap.

Publikation Recently Published

Platforms, Online Surveillance, and the European Union: The Digital Services Act (DSA)

In their open-access article, Prof. Dr. Judith Möller, Ronan Ó Fathaigh, Bengi Zeybek, and Rocco Bellanova explore how the DSA facilitates public and private surveillance practices regarding content disseminated on online platforms.

Cover of issue 2/2026 M&K
Publikation Open Access Publication

M&K 2/2026 Has Been Published

The February 2026 issue of M&K features articles that explore the understanding of roles and the transformative potential of peripheral actors in the DACH region. Other articles examine developments in sports coverage in German daily newspapers from 2011 to 2021 and the usage patterns of ChatGPT, as well as anthropomorphic role attributions. You can download all of these articles free of charge.

Front Page of the Working Paper
Publikation Working Paper Available for Download

Babies and Toddlers in Family Influencing

In what ways and how often are babies and young children (ages 0–5) depicted on commercially oriented German-language social media profiles on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube? Stephan Dreyer, Claudia Lampert, Kira Thiel, and others analyze this question using qualitative and quantitative methods. They also critically discuss the findings in light of the applicable legal framework and media ethics considerations.

Publikation Open Access Publication

Assessing Age Assurance Technologies: Effectiveness, Side-Effects, and Acceptance

In the article “Assessing Age Assurance Technologies: Effectiveness, Side-Effects, and Acceptance,” Dr. Wouter Lueks, Dr. Stephan Dreyer, Prof. Dr. Hannes Federrath, and Prof. Dr. Judith Simon analyze existing age verification methods.

Publikation Review of a Dissertation

Government Public Relations in New Media

For years, the democratic legitimacy of government public relations has been a topic of discussion in academic literature and constitutional jurisprudence. Tobias Mast reviews a recently published dissertation on the subject, exploring the untapped potential of interdisciplinary legal scholarship in relation to commonly accepted empirical assumptions.

Publikation Article for Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung

Platform Badges for Civic Communication

Digital platforms have become central infrastructures for political communication and social negotiation processes. In his article, Jan Rau examines platform badges, which are tools that platforms use to fulfill their obligation to mitigate risk by creating positive incentives for users to adhere to certain communicative norms.

Cover des Arbeitspapiers
Publikation Working Paper for Download

Responsibility in the Platform Quadrangle

This working paper by Tobias Mast comments on the European Court of Justice's recent Russmedia ruling and sets out the premises for a relationship between EU legal acts in the digital single market that respects fundamental rights.

ein Kabel führt in ein Smartphone
Projekt Project with Helmut Schmidt University

Data Collection and Analysis on TikTok and YouTube

In order to develop the best practices for collecting and analyzing data on short video platforms, Gregor Wiedemann's Media Research Methods Lab at the HBI is participating in a Helmut Schmidt University project examining the German Armed Forces' representation on TikTok and YouTube.

Eine Fernbedienung zeigt auf einen Bildschirm mit unscharfen bunten Bildern
Projekt International Cooperation Project

Euromedia Ownership Monitor

The Euromedia Ownership Monitor provides policymakers and the general public with in-depth insights into the extent of media ownership transparency in the EU. It was updated in 2025.

1 2 3 14

Page 1 from 14

Newsletter

Information about current projects, events and publications of the institute.

Subscribe now