Policy Initiative Dilemmas Surrounding Media Convergence: A Cross National Perspective

The discourse surrounding convergence of mass media content and infrastructures has been fraught with extravagant expectations and rhetoric. This article utilizes a cross-national perspective and focuses on regulatory aspects of the media convergence issue in order to explore the disconnect between the hype and realities of convergence. Three research questions characterize the relevant existing policy initiatives, identify obstacles to convergence and in comparativist terms ascertain which policy models have been relatively more effective. This paper adopts a case study structure integrating convergence policy models in the US, South Africa, Japan and India.