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First published November 2004

McTV: Understanding the Global Popularity of Television Formats

Abstract

Globalization has intensified interconnectivity among television industries worldwide. Interconnectivity happens through structural and institutional linkages among television systems and industries worldwide, resulting in an increasingly integrated global business governed by similar practices and goals. The dynamics are reflected in the popularity of television formats. On the surface, global dissemination of formats may suggest not only the global integration of the economy of the industry but also the standardization of content. A dozen media companies are able to do business worldwide by selling the same idea, and audiences seem to be watching national variations of the same show. At a deeper level, however, formats attest to the fact that television still remains tied to local and national cultures. Bringing up examples of Latin American cases, this article argues that television is simultaneously global and national, shaped by the globalization of media economics and the pull of local and national cultures.

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Article first published: November 2004
Issue published: November 2004

Keywords

  1. globalization
  2. television programs
  3. television formats
  4. Latin America
  5. media cultures

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Silvio Waisbord
Academy for Educational Development

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