Centralisation. Following the 1980s a dramatic restructuring of media power has happened. Today a few conglomerates dominate the global production and distribution of content.

Commercialisation. The media giants collaborate with advertisers and focus on light entertainment. What counts is the size of the audience and the satisfaction of their shareholders.

Convergence. As digital media are expected to be the future's gold mines, content and infrastructure providers have developed common interest. Billion dollar marriages between media colossuses and telecommunications and computer companies have become frequent.

"Never have so many been held incommunicado by so few." (Eduardo Galeano)

Programs for the masses. About fifty companies are responsible for most of the worlds content. The media tycoons opulent menu includes virtually everything from films and TV shows to books, magazines, music and multimedia products.

Content. Information is an extremely valuable good. Whether in analogue or digital form, today it is traded like any other kind of merchandise.

Content protection. Literary, musical, audiovisual, graphic and other works are protected from being reproduced without the permission of its owner by copyright. In 1997, copyrighted material contributed more than US$ 400,000,000,000 to the U.S. economy being the country's single most important export.