Over the past month, like a lot of industries, the Australian media has been hit hard with the effects of COVID-19. We’ve seen a variety of newscorp’s papers and magazines go out of print, Bauer media cut jobs and regional news suspensions, due to the current economy.

Last week Foxtel announced a further 70 job cuts for the company, citing the current pandemic as a need to restructure. However, some have been quick to point out the company has already been facing impacts from reduced ad revenue as it competes with other streaming services such as Disney+, Netflix and Stan.

This struggle to compete has been the case for many other Australian media outlets, as more people turn to digital platforms. So, is it fair for these media powerhouses to blame the current pandemic for their demise? We spoke to Dr Terry Flew, a professor of communication and creative industries at Queensland University of Technology to discuss the current media economy.