Mass media in Mexico

Mass media in Mexico, including telecommunications and digital media, are regulated primarily by the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, SCT) and the autonomous Federal Telecommunications Institute (Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones, IFT), which replaced the former Federal Commission of Telecommunications (Cofetel) in 2013. Mexico's telecommunications market is among the largest in Latin America and underwent significant liberalization in the 1990s following the privatization of the state-owned monopoly Teléfonos de México (Telmex), acquired by Carlos Slim's América Móvil group in 1990. Despite liberalization, Telmex continued to dominate fixed-line telecommunications and broadband internet access sectors for decades. By 2023, its fixed broadband market share had declined from 51.7% in 2019 to 38.6%, reflecting growing competition from operators like Totalplay, Megacable, and Izzi.

Digital and mobile internet access has accelerated media diversification, with over 90% of users accessing the internet via mobile devices as of 2024. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok have become primary sources of news and political commentary, contributing to media pluralism and facilitating investigative journalism and independent reporting. Nonetheless, challenges persist including political interference, disinformation campaigns, and urban-rural disparities in broadband access. In 2024, the IFT imposed a record fine of ₱1.78 billion pesos on Telcel for monopolistic practices before its powers were transferred to the newly created Agency for Digital Transformation and Telecommunications (ATDT), as part of controversial institutional reforms.