Adelaida Afilipoaie

New forms of media have always captivated me by their accessibility, innovation and multidirectional transmission. Lately however, discussions on platformization seem to assume that platforms bring negative effects for competition, with some of them even acting in anti-competitive, unorthodox manners in order to draw rivals out of business. Nevertheless, there is a lack of sound empirical analysis that can support this assumption. The explosion of innovative platforms and businesses means that the EU is faced with new regulatory challenges, with competition, innovation and the citizens’ wellbeing being at stake. As we move towards a service based economy, regulation needs to keep up with the fast transformations and avoid being caught offside. Therefore, my PhD thesis focuses on the national and European media law and policies, and their complementarity with the EU Merger Regulation, and sheds light on their attempts to level the competitive playing field between legacy media and digital media platforms and their efforts to address non-economic, public issues.

My fascination with digital technologies and my desire to be part if this influential societal driving force, pushed me into pursuing a BA. in Media Studies with Television in the United Kingdom, from which I graduated in 2016 magna cum laude, and was awarded the prize for best performing media student. My dissertation focused on streaming services and how their presence is changing the narrative structure of TV drama. After gaining both hands-on production experience and theoretical knowledge, through both by education and work experience in the media field, I decided to further enhance my expertise by pursuing in 2017 a MSc. in Communication Studies: New Media and Society in Europe at VUB in Brussels, graduating with great distinction. My thesis topic focused on Netflix and their investment patterns in the European television market.