Considering the objectives of a 2006 conference on ‘Internationalizing Media ­Studies’ Global Media and Communication (2007) this contribution reflects on progress since–seeing more impediments in 2015 than new imperatives to this goal. The need to internationalize media ­studies beyond western perspectives is even more apparent with ever more ­globalized ­academia, scholarship and student cohorts. The scale and scope of change is ­profound but the field is still overly ­reliant on formulations from specific historical and cultural contexts with ­countries notably China, India and Iran requiring ­different approaches, having different traditions to observe. The contributor’s book chapter (Thussu, 2009) highlighted two areas to consider: media history and religion. So it is that careful consideration of history and religion and non-western traditions in all parts of the world is needed to avoid the dangers of focusing too much on immediate or ephemeral material in research.