Latin American TV Series as the Channel for Intercultural Communication with Europe

Abstract

The study of intercultural communication within large cultures is particularly relevant in the 21st century in an era of globalization. Nowadays, thanks to the development of new information channels, such as social networks, as well as public diplomacy, branding of culture and art, popularization of national cultural traditions has become an integral part of the cultural diplomacy of Latin American countries. Despite globalization that has led to the global hybridization of television production, Latin American television series still retain the characteristics of unique products, introducing the foreign viewer to the culture and traditions of the Latin American region. In the 21st century, leading Latin American TV companies have changed the content of TV series aimed at different groups of target audiences. Social topics related to inequality, the emergence of civil society, problems of young people, and criminalization of society have found their way beyond the Latin American continent and have received a strong response in European countries. The Netflix site has become an important communication channel for Latin American television serial products. Television series, as the main marketing product of the leading Latin American media conglomerates, have contributed to the development of intercultural communication with European target audiences, where Latin American television stations have found similar social and cultural features and have become a kind of brand of this television genre. The popularity of Latin American serial products in Europe is due to the emergence of hybrid series and joint Latin American-European production of this type of entertainment television products. The article explores the stages of Latin American TV series' distribution in European countries and their impact on intercultural communication between Latin America and Europe.