Los modelos de negocio de la televisión en internet en el mercado latinoamericano

Abstract

This article aims to present the main findings of the research conducted for my thesis for the Master’s degree in Cultural Industries: Policy and Management from the National University of Quilmes (UNQ), entitled: “The impact of the internet on the television industry’s business model in Latin America: a study of technological convergence in five multimedia groups.” My research addresses the television industry’s passage to the internet through an analysis of the region’s five most important info-communications groups: Televisa Group in Mexico, Globo Group in Brazil, Cisneros Group in Venezuela, Clarin Group in Argentina, and Telefonica Group. Since Telefonica operates in thirteen Latin American countries, this paper focuses on the Argentine case, considering Telefe (free-to-air TV channel) and Telefonica’s On Video service in Argentina. The analysis concentrates on the distribution of content over the internet thanks to the possibilities opened up by the technological convergence of the computing, telecommunications, and television sectors, keeping in mind: the organizational structure adopted by companies to deal with changes brought about by new technologies, the product/service’s characterization and audience participation tools, the digital business model, and the value chain. The study assumes a socio-political perspective that accounts for technological aspects, social and economic constraints, and the constraints of productive cultures, which influence any approach to the television industry in the new context of digitalization.