Abstract

This article examines the emergence and development of a specific form of cultural entrepreneurship in the television industry, with a focus on responses to global economic and regulatory shifts, particularly in the Global South. Drawing on 35 semi-structured interviews with industry professionals and stakeholders, as well as textual analysis of business press and corporate reports, it identifies and examines three case studies: cultural television, entrepreneurial journalism, and changes in fiction and entertainment. The findings reveal how entrepreneurs are taking charge of content production and creative processes, often under precarious conditions. Challenging binary views of cultural entrepreneurship as either a purely precarious and exploitative dynamic or solely a source of opportunities and innovation, the article offers a nuanced understanding of its dynamics. It highlights the interplay between economic pressures, managerialist practices, and individual agency, showing the evolving role of entrepreneurs in shaping a cultural landscape marked by the "gig economy".