"More Owners than Ever" Concentration in the Latin American Communication Landscape of the 21st Century

Abstract

This article examines the process of concentration of communication media ownership in Latin America during the first 15 years of the 21st century. It includes an overview of the various segments and main indicators, and a comparison of industries and countries as background for identifying trends. Building on previous studies of the communication and telecommunication media landscape of Latin America, this article introduces for the first time a comparative historical series that enables understanding the subject matter in more depth and with improved documentation. This study includes data from five Latin American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile and Mexico. This article analyzes to what extent the concentration is a widespread process in Latin America. Even though the effects of concentration on the diversity of opinions and cultural options deserve further scrutiny, documentation on how concentration has strengthened provides an empirical basis to sustain the debates around such diverse effects.