Impact of Globalization in the Entertainment Industry

The essay discusses the complexities associated with globalization with a special focus on the entertainment industry. The influence of globalization in the four countries in particular shall be discussed, which include India, Nigeria, New Zealand and China.

Running head: IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
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IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY
Introduction
The globalization phenomenon has taken the world by storm and it continues to influence
every aspect of life in the contemporary era. Globalization mainly refers to the individuals, the
companies and the governments of different countries involved in interaction and work via
international investment and trade. It is done with the support and help of information
technology (Robins, 2018). The phenomenon has resulted in the disbanding of previous national
and state frameworks and organizations (Robins, 2018). Nonetheless, with change, globalization
also creates stability because it results in the development of a transnational space and global
society.
The essay discusses the complexities associated with globalization with a special focus
on the entertainment industry. The influence of globalization in the four countries in particular
shall be discussed, which include India, Nigeria, New Zealand and China. The essay will first
elaborate on the trends of globalization and then highlight its impact on the entertainment
industry of the said countries.
Discussion
Globalization trends are most visible in the media sphere. With the progress in satellite
technologies and cable services and the ease in media regulations, television market has taken a
huge leap from national to transnational. The 1991 Gulf War live coverage by CNN, the
American news channel revolutionized the way television is perceived. The coverage was seen
across the world. The creation and popularity of the Disney Channel, MTV channel and other
such media channels further confirmed the influence of globalization. The telecommunications

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technology has allowed people to gain access to databases present globally. The internet
revolution and then the emergence of social media platforms fueled the trends of globalization.
With these trends visibly influencing the lives of people, arguments have also been made
regarding the complexities associated with globalization. Two significant qualifications related
to globalization must be discussed in order to understand the complexities it possesses. The first
is the notion that globalization displaces everything traditional and old. This notion is not true as
globalization does not change or displace everything, which is evident from the continuities
visible in both cultural and social life. In this perspective, globalization might mean an accretion
of cultural phenomenon “where new global trends coexist”. The second qualifying point about
globalization is that apart from being complex, it is also diverse. People experience globalization
in multifarious ways.
In the context of media and the entertainment industry in particular, globalization trends
have been largely visible. The following section shall highlight the influence of globalization,
mainly ‘Americanization’ in the entertainment industry (Robins, 2018).
The globalization process has offered various opportunities for the minor and developing
nations but it also has created friction. The ‘Americanization’ of international films has caused
much distress as it has resulted in the weakening of the national film culture. The weakening of
national film culture is chiefly evident in the Indian, Chinese, Nigerian and New Zealand film
industries that are the newly emerging industries.
Bollywood, or the Indian Film Industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the
world with its popularity ranked just below Hollywood. Prior to the 1970s and 1980s, when
globalization had not reached the Indian sphere, the Indian Film Industry, particularly the Hindi

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Film Industry was dominated with stories concerning the cultures and values of the Indian
society. Most films were based on family systems, feelings of nationalism and patriotism and on
social and moral issues. Post globalization, when the Indian audience were exposed to foreign
films, especially American films, it changed the landscape of Indian Cinema. As Punathambekar
(2013) mentions, filmmakers began to target audiences not only in India but also in countries like
the U.S. and the UK where the Indian Diasporas is the highest. Films like Dilwale Dulhaniya Le
Jayenge (1995), Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham (2003) and Pardes (1997) are examples of films
that began the shift towards globalizing the Indian entertainment industry. However, it led to the
‘Americanization’ of Indian films as most films began to shift away from traditional values and
catered to the taste of the Diaspora. The author has delved upon the contribution of the state and
its policies in transforming the Hindi film industry into Bollywood. Recognition of the Indian
Diaspora as citizens of the country gave the filmmakers an opportunity to expand their reach.
The author mentions two names – Yash Chopra and Karan Johar as the leading filmmakers who
could be credited with the transformation.
While the Hindi film industry is yet to attract global filmmakers to make films in India,
the Chinese entertainment market has become an influential force in the international media
industries. This rise in the Chinese entertainment market has been noticed by Hollywood, notes
Kokas (2018). The growing demand to expand the market for Hollywood in combination with
China’s eagerness for global soft power has resulted in the expansion of the Sino-U.S industrial
relationship. The author in his article ‘Policy and Superheroes’, reveals that the relationship
between China and America in terms of films actually shows the contribution of policy in joint
media productions. While the collaboration with Hollywood helps the Chinese media production
augment its value, it also extends the “reach of Chinese soft power” (Kokas, 2018). This attempt

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is evident in the film Iron Man 3 in which, some Chinese doctors are seen performing surgery to
save the life of the protagonist using traditional medicine of the Chinese. In another instance, the
robots in the film Transformers 4 are seen fighting a fierce battle at Guangdong in Hong Kong
that further reveal the policy of the Chinese media production to extend its soft power. However,
the attempt of the Chinese production company to enlarge their soft power through the Iron Man
3 film did not yield the result they had expected. The author of the article demonstrates the
failure of the Chinese film industry to penetrate into the mainstream Hollywood production. In
Iron Man 3, the only Chinese elements that were visible seemed to be forcefully included and
had no contribution to the plot.
In case of New Zealand, similar to China, it too had to fight for its recognition by the
superpowers of the entertainment industry, Hollywood. In the article titled ‘The Frodo Franchise;
The lord of the rings and modern Hollywood’, author Thompson (2018) makes important notes
about the recognition of New Zealand as a sought after location for Hollywood filmmakers. The
development of ‘Wellywood’ as an important place for film production marks a new trend in the
entertainment industry. New Zealand was put on the world map significantly after the release
and remarkable success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Although New Line Cinema was
initially, reluctant to unveil the location to the audiences but eventually the secret was out and
New Zealand instantly became famous. It came to be popularly recognized as the ‘Middle-earth’
to fans. The success of the film provided the country with a new impetus and several other
projects came in its lap. However, despite the successful filming of the Rings trilogy and other
such projects, the national film industry has not made any mark when it comes to reaching out
globally.

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The Nigerian film industry, known also as Nollywood, is also a rapidly emerging
entertainment market similar to New Zealand. Although Nollywood is known most for its video
production, it has shown great promise. Lobato (2010) sheds light on the emergence of the
Nigerian entertainment industry and the dilemma faced by the Nigerian filmmakers whether to
make films for the local audience or target the global viewers. The author finds that the local
audiences do not like the kind of African films that are made to be screened at the West film
festival programmers. The main reason behind the dislike for such films is the film viewing
culture of Nigerians that emerged from colonial rule. Globalization has further caused the
emerging video film industry of the country to give increased prominence to English-language
movies.
In the light of the above discussion, it can be seen that the globalization influence in the
entertainment industries of the four countries have been remarkable. It is evident that Indian film
industry has been the most influenced by the global trends in the industry while China has
redirected its focus on extending its soft power. In case of New Zealand, globalization has
caused it to be recognized by people as the ideal location to shoot films in but not an ideal place
from where big budget films are expected. The Nigerian case is entirely different from the rest,
as the film industry in the country has not been touched by the ‘Americanization’ as much as
others. The video production industry in the country is still blooming despite the onslaught of
globalization.
Conclusion
To conclude, it must be stated that the entertainment industry has demonstrated the most
influences of globalization. The essay discussed the effects of globalization with particular focus

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on the entertainment industry. To one person, globalization is great as it boosts the national
interest; to the other it demeans the national interest. Therefore, it is clear that although
globalization phenomenon has and continues to influence people’s lives, the governments and
countries, it has not been positively accepted by many. The analysis found that globalization,
often remarked as ‘Americanization’ of the entertainment industry in the countries of India,
China, Nigeria and New Zealand have resulted in the weakening of national identity.

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References:
Kokas, A. (2018). Policy and Superheroes china and hollywood in sino-us relations. Retrieved
from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/qut/detail.action?docID=4699776
Lobato, R. (2010). Creative industries and informal economies: Lessons from
Nollywood. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 13(4), 337-354.
Punathambekar, A. (2013). From Bombay to Bollywood: The making of a global media industry.
NYU Press.
Robins, K. (2018). Production of culture/cultures of production. Retrieved from
http://mahorder.s3.amazonaws.com/15262-76kxb102-du_gay_paul-
production_of_culture_cultures_of_production-ch1_what_in_the_world_is_going_on_-
pp12-47-(1).pdf
Thompson, K. (2018). The Frodo franchise; The lord of the rings and modern Hollywood, 1
(2007). Retrieved from http://mahorder.s3.amazonaws.com/15265-16kxb102-
thompson_kristin-the_frodo_franchise;_the_lord_of_the_rings_and_modern_hollywood-
ch_10_right_in_your_own_backyard_pp_282-332-pp282-332-(3).pdf