The Persistence of Monopolies: Film Exhibition and Television under the PRI, 1938-1993

As of the Revolution, the Mexican state sought to bolster the anti-monopoly principle of the Constitution. However, it almost always ignored its new rules, preferring to let monopolies flourish. This article offers a holistic explanation, by arguing that monopolies persisted for four chief reasons, two economic and two political. First and most importantly, the political establishment sought accords with the business elite, based on a perceived mutual necessity. Second, this practice was accompanied, especially as of the 1940s, by exchanges of favor between politicians and businessmen. Third, the corporatist nature of the ruling party favored dealings with a limited number of interlocutors. Fourth, the personalistic style of Mexican presidentialism favored direct dealings with magnates. To illustrate how these factors operated, two case studies are presented: (i) the film exhibition monopoly of William Jenkins in the 1940s and 1950s; (ii) the television monopoly of the Azcárraga family between 1955 and 1993.