Interview, Fireside Chat
Is global culture dead? | The Economist
- Globalization in media is retreating despite the expansion of global platforms, with local and national tastes increasing rather than converging.
- Share of local artists in top charts is rising globally:
- Comparing 2019 to 2025, the percentage of local artists in the top 20 of Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, and Chile has increased significantly.
- In Brazil specifically, the share of local artists in the top 20 grew from approximately 16% to 20% over six years.
- Mexico saw an even sharper rise, with local representation jumping from about 6% to 14% in the top 20.
- A granular look at Brazil's top 100 most streamed artists from last week shows 96 were Brazilian.
- Drivers of the local content trend:
- Audiences increasingly prefer media that reflects their specific cultural experiences and national identity.
- Language barriers remain a significant factor in determining content popularity across borders.
- Exceptions to the local trend:
- Smaller countries sharing a language with a larger neighbor show different trends; for example, Portugal's charts remain dominated by Brazilian artists.
- Ireland and Australia also deviate from the norm, with charts still heavily influenced by American and British content.
- Shift in Netflix's content strategy:
- Historically, Netflix pursued a "global first" strategy with shows like Marco Polo and Citadel that failed to generate deep audience engagement.
- The platform has pivoted to a "local first" strategy, requiring domestic success before international distribution.
- Adolescence (UK) exemplifies this new approach, becoming a global hit only after resonating as a local production.
- Technological democratization of video production:
- Reduced costs for both production and distribution have led to a supply boom in local content.
- Social platforms like YouTube are increasingly eclipsing traditional TV makers in video consumption.
- Viral content remains national despite global platforms:
- Research tracking trending YouTube videos across over 100 countries for three years found that 75% of viral hits trend in only one country.
- Truly global viral content remains rare.
- Shift from elite curation to user-driven preference:
- Streaming has empowered individuals to curate their own media consumption, reducing the influence of elite tastemakers like radio DJs.
- In Germany, local representation in the top 100 songs rose from 4% on radio to 44% on streaming platforms within the same year.
- This shift allows audiences to express specific national and cultural preferences that were previously suppressed by centralized scheduling.