And English has become, thanks to the combination of British colonialism and American commercialism, a global tongue. All these factors give the American entertainment industry advantages that Japan, say, or Germany cannot easily emulate. This is important, because television production is a fixed-cost business. The main expense is Ms Winfrey. The producers of such shows can cover their costs at home, and then sell around the globe at prices that local programmers find hard to match.
Imports are thus the cheapest way to fill the airwaves.
Once more, television has been the chief focus. Usually, investment takes the form of joint ventures, often of labyrinthine complexity. This is because restrictions on foreign ownership make it hard for foreigners to buy local stations and networks, and because cultural differences make it useful to have a local guide. The switch to digital is creating new opportunities for foreign participation. Partly, this reflects the falling cost of distribution, as digitisation has cut annual operating costs.