Symbiosis International Education Centre 2007 M.B.A SNAP TEST - Question Paper

These French people lead a world guer¬rilla army, hoping to curb American cul¬tural hegemony. In 1989, the French govern¬ment persuaded the European Commun¬ity to decree that 40% of TV programs should be domestic. It also strengthened their complex system of support (which taxes cinema tickets to help French film production) by extending it to television programs. In 1993, France threatened to sabotage the GATT trade round in order to exempt audio-visual materials from free trade agreements.

The French have obtained a powerful ally in Canada, which has long been terrified of being swamped by its nearest neighbor. Of the films shown on Canadian screens, 96% are foreign, primarily American. Three¬ quarters of the music on Canadian radio is not Canadian. 4 in 5 magazines sold on newsstands in Canada, and 6 in every ten books, are foreign, mainly American.

Canada had, a few time back, organized a meeting in Ottawa about American cultural dominance. Nineteen countries attended, in¬cluding Britain, Brazil and Mexico; the United States was pointedly excluded. At is¬sue were ways of exempting cultural goods from treaties lowering trade barriers, on the view that free trade threatened national cultures. The Ottawa meeting followed a similar gathering in Stockholm, sponsored by the United Nations, which resolved to press for special exemptions for cultural goods in a different global trade pact, the Mul¬tilateral Agreement on Investment.

Quite apart from its recommended solu¬tions, is the “resistance” to American cul¬tural imperialism accurate in its diagnosis of the problem? Lurking here are 3 dis¬tinct ques.. Is Hollywood as powerful as its enemies imagine? Is there an identifi¬able thing you can sensibly tag “Ameri¬can culture”? And does America’s domina¬tion extend to every corner of the popular arts and entertainment?

A strong case can be made out that America dominates world cinema. It may not make most feature films. But American films are the only ones that reach every market in the world: the highly successful films of India and Hong Kong hardly travel outside their regions. In major markets around the world, lists of the biggest-gross¬ing films are essentially lists of Hollywood blockbusters in slightly differing orders with 1 or 2 local films for variety. In the European Union, the United States claimed 70% overall of the film market in 1996, up from 56% in 1987; even in Japan, America now accounts for more than half the film market. “Titanic” has grossed al¬most $1.8 billion worldwide. “Armaged¬don” and “Lethal Weapon 4” play well from Belgium to Brazil.

Earning:   Approval pending.