Mainstream Islam: Television Industry Practice and Trends in Indonesian sinetron

This article explores the modes of consolidation between the dynamic practices of commercial television and the rising Islamic manifestation among urban, middle-class Indonesians. Focusing on the most-consumed type of television programming in the country, the sinetron (television drama), it describes media-economic factors that have led to the multiplication of Islamic symbols in television. An image of Islam that is unobjectionable to both the vocal, moralist Muslim audience and the general, heterogeneous audience has received a privileged position in prime time television. Business deals between media organisations that have become more stable blow the wave towards "mainstream Islam", which reflects a symbiosis between growing Islamic influences and commercialisation in Indonesia's television industry.