As a prime source of news, television can be inseparable from the political processes in each European country, and in Europe as a whole. This text brings together contributions on the media from all principal European countries, facilitating a comparison of television's nature in each country. The book draws out the distinctive features of each country's television through an opening chapter that sets out the position of television within the continent in terms of policy and regulation on such issues as copyright, public service broadcasting, teleshopping and new technology. Other chapters examine the history of broadcasting in different nations, with key dates and legislation, regulatory frameworks, links with government, funding and ownership, viewing statistics, advertising and its regulation, programme production, channel profiles, programmes and viewers, satellite and cable, and the industry's relationship with cinema clearly highlighted.