Brazilian-U.S. Communication Forum | The Central Role of Broadcast Television in Brazil's Film Industry: The Economic, Political and Social Implications of Global Markets and National Concentration

Abstract

Recent films seem to support the notion of a Brazilian film industry revival. However, a closer look reflects another possibility: a logic in the audiovisual production chain, in which the television industry plays a central role. According to logic, the growth of national film production was part and parcel of Globo’s strategy to diversify the production of its television network and further propagate its concentration of power over this market. This strategy is indicative of other trends in Brazil’s media political economy, including the concentration of media industry ownership, the close ties between political and industrial elites, and the public’s winnowing access to cultural goods and media technologies.