|
overview
holdings
landmarks
|
overview
This profile considers the Abril group of Brazil.
It covers -
introduction
Abril has press, broadcast, cable and telecommunications
interests in South America and Portugal.
the group
Abril is based in Sao Paulo and controlled by the Civita
family.
It dates from 1950 when the Civitas began publishing Donald
Duck comics under licence from Disney.
We have highlighted the significance of comic publishing
as an engine for the growth of several non-US groups,
including Abril and Egmont. Comics
typically provided cash flow, did not involve major translation
or rights negotiation challenges, used entry-level technology
(blurry b&w or colour print on cheap paper rather
than investment in book publishing, film or broadcast)
and were less threatening to the local establishment.
Regional media statistics are problematical: Abril claims
to be the largest publishing, printing and electronic
media company in Latin America. It competes in particular
with telenovela giant Globo.
The Civitas (directly and through Abril) own 80% of Sistem
de Televisao (TVA), the leading Brazilian pay-television
company. TVA was founded in 1991 as a programmer and operator.
It is 20% owned by Hearst and
Disney-subsidiary ABC.
It owns and operates eight pay-tv systems (cable, satellite,
MDS) and a network of 42 affiliates.
TVA is a partner in the Ku-band Galaxy Latin America (GLA)
satellite service, launched in December 1995 with 144
channels. Other partners include the Cisneros
group and MVS Multivision in Mexico.
Outside TVA the group owns Abril Video, market leader
in video rentals.
Universo Online (UOL), Brazil's largest private internet
access provider, is a 50/50 joint venture with Brazil's
Folha Group. It results from a merger of Folha's ISP with
Abril's Brasil OnLine. It provides connectivity and portals
in Brazil, Argentina and Colombia; UOL also has portals
in Venezuela.
Abril's print holdings date from its publication of Disney
comics. Its Capricho magazine achieved sales of
over half a million copies by 1959 and the group launched
titles such as Ze Carioca, Ilusao, Nocturno, Manequim,
Quatro Rodas, Exame, Nova, Placar, Cláudia, Realidade
and Veja. The latter is claimed to be the 5th best-selling
general interest magazine in the world.
In the 1980s Abril formed Abril Controljournal (ACJ) -
a joint venture with former Portuguese Prime Minister
Francisco Pinto Balsemão - and the Editora Primavera publishing
group in Spain. Roularta is
now a major investor in Balsemão's Impresa group, which
holds his stake in the venture.
AJC expanded from printing into newspaper and book publishing
and SIC, the first private television channel in Portugal.
An indication of Abril's history is here.
studies
There is no substantial English-language study of the
Civita family or Abril group.
Elizabeth Fox's Latin American Broadcasting: From Tango
to Soap Opera (Luton: Uni of Luton Press 1997) and
Latin Politics, Global Media (Austin: Uni of Texas
Press 2002) - co-edited with Silvio Waisbord - are essential
reading. There is a similar perspective in Political
Clientalism & the Media: Southern Europe & Latin
America in Comparative Perspective (PDF)
by Daniel Hallin & Stylianos Papathanassopoulos.
Helena Sousa's 1996 dissertation
Communications Policy in Portugal & Its Links
with the European Union: An Analysis of Telecommunications
& Television Broadcasting Sectors from the Mid-1980s
until the Mid-1990's offers insights into Abril's
experience in Portugal.
next
page (holdings)
|
|
