The paradox of television privatization: When more is less

The argument of this article is that privatization of the audiovisual sector has had unintended consequences. The proliferation of private television channels has fragmented advertising markets and created incentives for the increasing importation of cheap American programming. This phenomenon is evident despite the fact that the demand for such programming is eclipsed by audience preferences to see their own cultures on the small screen. Thus the paradox of television privatization is that, in cultural terms, it has led to less, rather than more, consumer choice. While the debates about Americanization have mostly dwelled on the loss of cultural diversity, the consequences for the domination of American popular culture have not only been the erosion of national identities, but also the transformation of local politics as people's political perceptions become increasingly affected by American political reference points and categories.