Of how streaming platforms are changing the audiovisual space in Latin America

This essay focuses on the way streaming services participate in the production and distribution of films and series in Argentina. It is part of a more general attempt to comprehend ways in which multinational media corporations are altering the Latin American audiovisual space, given that global/local interactions have become ever more integrated. Thus, the series El marginal and El reino offer evidence to analyse the interfaces between public and private, foreign and domestic organizations that negotiated the creation and distribution of both series. They also illuminate certain aspects of the narratives (genre tropes, universalized content) that may have contributed to their international success. Substantial foreign funding and ease of availability through streaming platforms have placed otherwise obscure series at the centre of global attention. But there are foreign corporations that come to Latin America just to take advantage of inexpensive production opportunities. While they create job alternatives for local audiovisual workers, some critics are asking whether there is an audiovisual sovereignty that needs to be reclaimed, in view of the foreign intervention. Reframing such question, this work proposes that constructing a national culture through the audiovisual industry does not entail being alienated from global currents - development may depend on negotiation and integration.

Automated summary

This essay examines the role of streaming services in the production and distribution of films and series in Argentina. It aims to understand how multinational media corporations are impacting the Latin American audiovisual space, with a focus on the series El marginal and El reino. These series shed light on the interactions between public and private, foreign and domestic organizations involved in their creation and distribution, as well as the elements contributing to their international success. While foreign funding and streaming platforms have brought attention to otherwise unknown series, questions about audiovisual sovereignty and the exploitation by foreign corporations have been raised. The essay proposes that building a national culture in the audiovisual industry can be achieved through negotiation and integration with global currents.