Value is a core theme of this conference that emerges during profound transformation in the media industries. Digitalization, platformization, and algorithmic governance have fundamentally reshaped how media is produced, distributed, and consumed. The trends are changing media worldwide, but the effects are occurring at different paces as national policies and local economies affect the abilities of firms and audiences to pursue opportunities using digital advances and associated platforms.

These changes bring new forms of economic value creation but challenge basic notions of their contribution to cultural and democratic value. In media economics and media management, value is often approached in measurable terms: audience metrics, revenues, advertising performance, and shareholder returns. Yet the media is also a cultural good and a civic resource, whose value cannot be fully captured financially. Media workers are said to be purpose-driven. This conference responds to the need for a more holistic and critical understanding of value, one that accounts for the tensions between economic imperatives, creative ambitions, and democratic responsibilities.

The media has long been shaped by a complex interplay between its roles as a business, an art form, and a platform for public opinion in a society. These roles imply different and often conflicting value systems: profitability, creative integrity, and public interest. Today, these tensions are more visible than ever, as media organizations navigate commercial pressures, audience fragmentation, regulatory debates, and crises of trust.

The conference aims to create a space for scholars and practitioners to interrogate how media organizations balance (or fail to balance) profit and responsibility. We encourage contributions that examine how value is constructed, contested, and negotiated across institutions, markets, and cultures. By bringing together diverse perspectives, we hope to deepen understanding and foster dialogue around the future of value in media.

The conference will include papers and discussions that explore the effects not merely from Western nations but from scholars exploring effects throughout the world.

WMEMC 2027 explores the multifaceted concept of value in media economics and media management. At its core lies the enduring tension between media as a business, an art form, and a foundation of democracy—each invoking distinct notions of value: economic, cultural, and civic. These perspectives may complement or conflict with one another, shaping how value is produced, quantified, and interpreted across platforms and contexts. We welcome theoretical and empirical contributions that examine value in, of, and for the media industry and the wider society. The conference aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and critical reflection on how diverse definitions of value influence media practice, policy, and scholarship in a rapidly evolving media landscape.

WMEMC is a diverse and inclusive community of researchers and practitioners worldwide. We welcome submissions on the conference theme from various approaches and themes worldwide. Past conferences have welcomed participants from all continents, including the Global South and North. We are keen to invite interdisciplinary and diverse approaches to answering questions that address many perspectives on the connection between media and value. We welcome policymakers, experts, and academics from every discipline and media industry with cognate interests to join the discussion. Multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary exploration is crucial for innovation in theory and practice. We therefore invite paper proposals addressing the following areas in particular, but are open to other aspects as well:

1. How does media create value, be it economic, civic, or cultural?
2. How does media create value in other industries, e.g., by providing publicity?
3. What are the core drivers of value creation in different parts of the media business?
4. How can value be measured? For what aim and by whom?
5. What is the value of data, and how can valuable data be sourced?
6. How does value change in a transforming industry?
7. Which values are created or destroyed by innovations or new technology?
8. What is the value of a media audience? To whom?
9. What are the consequences of a value perspective for media ethics and regulation?
10. Where are the differences between specific local and supposedly universal global perspectives on values?
11. How can values guide media management practice?
12. How can we integrate value in media economics and management teaching?

CMT submission link will be coming shortly.

Systems open on September 1, 2026.

• Once the CMT submission link is available, you’ll need to create an account: https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/docs/help/general/account-creation.html
• Here is a guide for authors on how to submit a paper: https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/docs/help/author/author-submission-form.html

What criteria will be used by your reviewers to evaluate submissions?

1. Relevance to the conference themes (10 points): Is the paper’s topic relevant to WMEMC 2027 areas?
2. Documentation of sources/background information/literature review (10 points): Does the paper demonstrate an adequate understanding of the relevant literature in the field? Does it include references to well-known and current studies on the topic under discussion?
3. Methodology (10 points): Is the paper’s argument built on an appropriate base of theory, concepts, or other ideas? Are the methods of data collection and analysis relevant to the research problem?
4. Analysis/Logic of argumentation (10 points): Are results presented clearly and analyzed appropriately? Do empirical findings adequately align with the paper’s main idea and theoretical background? Are the conclusions or findings justified?
5. Originality (10 points): Does the paper contribute to or complement the state of knowledge? Does it introduce outstanding and original ideas? Does it identify any implications for research, practice, or society?
6. Format (completeness, language, and style) (10 points): Does it contain all the required elements? Is it well-organized and well-written, or does it need formal editing?

Dear WMEMC 2027 Participants, the price of the Conference will be available on September 1, 2026.

As other WMEMC, you will have different prices depending on: early bird (Euros or US dollars equivalent to Mexican pesos); after September 2nd 2026, and received before the first week of March 2027. All of these dates are before noon (12:00 p.m., Mexico City time zone).

The prices depend on: Ph.D. Student, Experienced Researcher, Post-WMEMC social event for attendants and accompanying people.