ABSTRACT
Latin American countries have approved new media laws that have been perceived by some as an opportunity to make the media landscape more pluralistic and less concentrated, and by others as an opportunity for the governments to act against media outlets that have been critical of their administrations. This chapter discusses the media ownership structure in Latin America is challenging in various ways: first, because one cannot overlook the fact that the region has one of the highest indices of media ownership concentration worldwide. Second, because, unlike other regions, overall there are no reliable statistical data available from the national states, and media companies do not disclose information about themselves. Third, because the technology convergence process is driving a cardinal metamorphosis in the structuring of the industries involved in the production, circulation and trading of communication and culture flows. Thus, understanding the business structure of South American media groups is not an easy task.
