'Breaking Out' and 'Breaking In': Changing Firm Strategies in the Dutch Audiovisual Industry

摘要

In this article, it is argued that privatization and deregulation processes in the Dutch broadcasting system in 1989 affected the entrepreneurial strategies of audiovisual firms in the municipality of Hilversum (that is, the broadcast town of the Netherlands) in such a way that it caused a radical break in the overall organizational structure of the broadcasting system. Two particular responses of audiovisual firms in Hilversum are reconstructed. First, there are firms with an adaptive strategy that compete on price and focus on cost reduction. However, a second and more innovative strategy is noted as well. This second strategy is found among broadcasters and television producers who started to produce audiovisual content for other media, such as internet firms and cable firms. In addition, alliances were established in this latter group with innovative (audiovisual) firms elsewhere, such as in Amsterdam, the largest audiovisual cluster of the Netherlands, in order to launch new innovative products. Eventually, it seems that Dutch audiovisual broadcasters evolve into Systems Houses, which are large disintegrated conglomerates that produce in small batches in order to realize external economies of scope. It is concluded that the establishment of these inter-cluster partnerships should be interpreted as an interactive learning process to increase their responsiveness focus, which enables Hilversum-based audiovisual firms to deal more effectively with institutional, political or technological changes.