The history of European televisions’ commercialization is interesting and complex. In many European countries, early attempts to launch some form of private television took place on a local, national, or even supra-national basis. The process of television commercialization in Europe didn’t just start during the 1980s. Its implementation happened from the very beginning, and followed very different paths in each country. This issue on the History of Private and Commercial Television in Europe may help deepen our understanding of how the commercialization of television has shaped media culture in Europe. It offers a scholarly view on the history of private and commercial television in Europe, addressing institutional, technological, political, and cultural perspectives, and their entanglement, so as to allow for transnational comparison.
Co-edited by Luca Barra, Christoph Classen, and Sonja De Leeuw