The chapter discusses the characteristics of audiovisual (AV) media sectors in the Baltic Sea region. Therein it focuses on the specifics of media indus- tries in small countries in the region as they are challenged in ways notably...
moreThe chapter discusses the characteristics of audiovisual (AV) media sectors in the Baltic Sea region. Therein it focuses on the specifics of media indus- tries in small countries in the region as they are challenged in ways notably different from large countries with large domestic markets for media con- tent. It discusses the differences between the AV media industries in the Nordic and Baltic countries and suggests that while in the first case long- term welfare society policies and conscious policy-driven system building have conditioned growth and international success then also in the second case innovation policy rationales have facilitated recent growth and dynam- ics. It then discusses the specific challenges, especially platformisation to small media industries in contemporary globalising media markets, and suggests that opportunities to resist these challenges may be in local inter- sectoral cooperation, that is, in building cross-innovation systems.