Channel 21 International - Fall 2024 - Spain in Focus

Spain in Focus

Flexibility keeps Onza ahead of the game

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Unscripted

Spain is one of the biggest buyers of unscripted content in the world, so it’s little wonder a myriad of foreign production and distribution groups have muscled in on the territory to reap the rewards.

French companies such as Newen, Banijay, StudioCanal, Satisfaction and Mediawan have all expanded their footprint in the Iberian market through acquisitions of and stakes in Spanish prodos, while the UK’s BBC Studios (BBCS) and ITV Studios (ITVS) are relatively recent arrivals. Italy is represented by prodco Garbo Produzione, which in 2022 backed Madrid-based Onza, producer of formats such as The Celeb Challenge and The Way Home

The strategic alliances can be mutually beneficial. International entities establish local bases from which to introduce their heritage brands into Iberia. Meanwhile, for Spanish prodcos, M&A deals can result in transformational levels of investment from deep-pocketed parent groups as well as the chance to exploit an extensive international distribution network.

However, there have also been grumblings in Spain that indie prodcos are being squeezed out of their market by the influx of foreign giants, with domestic producers also having to surrender creative control of the unscripted space to interfering arrivistes.

Outside influence

With an ever-increasing number of Spanish unscripted prodcos owned by foreign groups, C21 looks at how these international connections are impacting the pipeline of domestic formats and IP. By

Still proudly independent is Mediacrest, which produces local versions of unscripted shows such as Keshet’s original format Boom!, for Mediaset, and , based on a concept from Japan’s NHK, for

However, Mediacrest has been

this

Neil Batey

affected by the influx of groups from abroad recently, when reports in Spain revealed it would lose production of El Cazador (The Chase) to ITVS Iberia from next year. Mediacrest had made 14 seasons of the original ITV format, but ITVS Iberia, led by MD Nathalie Garcia, will take the reins from 2025.

“We live in a globalised world, and this is happening,” says Cristian Liarte, director of global business development, partnerships and acquisitions at Mediacrest. “We have to assume we’re going to have to fight against big players, but has been a great

success for Mediacrest these last five years. We have a very close relationship with ITVS Iberia and our goal is to work with them on other projects.”

A former head of European original content at Rakuten TV, Liarte joined Mediacrest in late 2023, following the departure of Daniel Domenjó to Satisfaction

“El Cazador

Iberia.

“Being independent is a critical decision for us,” Liarte says. “We’ve been approached by many companies who wanted to know if we would be interested in selling, but it’s not only purely economic factors that drive us

many companies who wanted to forward. way best

“In big groups, you have to hit certain targets and numbers, but independence is of great value to us. That way we can make the best decisions for our content from an editorial perspective rather than prioritising profit and loss margins.”

It’s been just under a year since France’s Satisfaction Group announced it was launching an Iberian arm after partnering with entrepreneur and producer Domenjó to target the Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American markets. Satisfaction boss and French TV host Arthur Essebag had been eyeing expansion into Spain for some time and with Domenjó installed as CEO of the newly minted Satisfaction Iberia, work began in earnest. Progress has been swift, with three primetime shows greenlit in little over nine

It’s been just under a year since France’s launching

Portuguese and Latin American markets. months.

Portuguese adaptation of Talpa Studios’ shiny-

The first production out of the gates was a local version of Dutch format The Connection, commissioned by RTVE, followed by a Portuguese adaptation of Talpa Studios’ shinyfloor format The Floor, coproduced with Coral Europa, and a forthcoming Spanish version of the show for La 1, RTVE’s main channel.

“It’s a beautiful marriage where both

Mapi from Japan’s pubcaster RTVE.

is not a problem at all.

Daniel Domenjó

Cristian Liarte

halves of the couple have independence and understand both their differences and natural similarities,” says Domenjó, explaining how his partnership with Satisfaction Group works.

“The group’s financial support is paramount, but at the same time we’re working together in a very flexible and agile way. We don’t want to be slaves of annual budgets or rigid business plans. Instead, we want to be able to observe the momentums of the industry in Iberia and Lat Am, because sometimes business plans and PowerPoints show us ways that aren’t aligned with what the audience, broadcasters or streamers want.”

Satisfaction Iberia will work with other companies such as the aforementioned Talpa and Israel’s Keshet International – which signed a multi-territory formats agreement with Satisfaction Group in January – to bring both tried-andtested brands and new IP to Iberia and beyond. Domenjó urges Spanish indie prodcos to follow the same collaborative strategy.

are giving us the opportunity to adapt formats from their catalogues.”

Barcelona- and Madridbased Brutal Media (This Is Opera) became part of BBCS’s global entertainment production network in late March. Under the agreement, Brutal will continue to develop its slate of original IP in Spain, as well as produce formats from the BBCS catalogue, which includes brands such as Dancing with the Stars, Bake Off and The 1% Club

So far, the M&A deal has seen Brutal produce a sixpart primetime local version of The Weakest Link (El Rival más Débil) for Telecinco.

“One of the most important things is that Brutal Media is BBCS’s only production company here in Spain,” says Masllorens. “So it’s a different philosophy to some of the other groups here, which are thinking more in terms of volume.

“BBCS is a prestigious name recognised around the world, which gives Brutal Media access to a huge international distribution network. However, in our soul and our day-to-day operations, we are still working like an indie.”

“I have led independent companies,” Domenjó says. “I would tell indies to search for good partners if they want their formats to travel easily abroad.”

Raimon Masllorens, co-founder of BBCS-owned Brutal Media, believes Spanish unscripted indies shouldn’t fear losing market share to international groups.

“It’s not a problem because here in Spain there are a lot of laws to protect indies,” he says. “There are many advantages to the investment that is coming into the market from international groups, as they

Paris-based Mediawan launched its own production hub, Mediawan Studios Spain, in late 2020 following its acquisition of Lagardère Studios and Spanish prodco Good Mood. Led by Monica Galer, it comprises Boomerang TV, a subsidiary of Lagardère, plus stakes in Good Mood, Weekend Studio and Veranda TV.

Jorge Pezzi was named CEO of Boomerang in March last year, with the company currently in the process of pivoting after losing the local production of La Voz (The Voice), La Voz Kids and Antena 3 gameshow Pasapalabrato to ITVS Iberia.

Galer says: “Having created ITVS Iberia, ITVS is taking back its titles from Boomerang in 2025. It’s a very exciting time in Boomerang’s history, during which Jorge has the task of rethinking entertainment at the company.”

Boomerang will produce a Spanish version of Battle in the Box, a format acquired by Mediawan from Korean company Something Special in April. Pezzi believes that for the Spanish unscripted

market to evolve, buyers need to take more risks by commissioning original concepts.

“However, the fact is the networks don’t get behind paper projects,” he says. “They prefer projects that have already been tested in other markets. One of our intentions is to co-develop new formats with the channels so they feel part of the idea and become more likely to bet on those formats.”

Led by Pilar Blasco, Banijay Iberia was formed in 2020 following the merger of Banijay and Endemol Shine. Its unscripted labels are Cuarzo Producciones, Endemol Portugal, Gestmusic, Shine Iberia and Zeppelin.

Blasco also believes the Spanish market would benefit from an injection of new IP to complement tried-and-tested formats, although convincing riskaverse buyers is another matter entirely.

“There

“It’s a pity because Banijay Iberia is capable of bringing a lot of new IP to

Raimon Masllorens Brutal Media is

are many advantages to the investment that is coming into the market from international groups, as they are giving us the opportunity to adapt formats from their catalogues.

the market, but our customers won’t always bet on it,” she says.

“Two examples of very ambitious and pioneering new unscripted shows from Banijay Iberia include [Cuarzo’s AI-driven dating show] Deep Fake Love for Netflix and real-life video game format Time Zone, from Zeppelin for Max.

“We would like to do more because right now we have 11 new pieces of IP in development for 2025, but perhaps only one or two of those will be greenlit.”

Ultimately, Blasco thinks domestic indie prodcos and foreign groups can co-exist in relative harmony if they can both leverage their own unique skill sets.

“The collaborative work between groups and talent from small companies is the key to the future for everyone,” she says. “Some customers prefer to work with indies rather than groups – being small can be an advantage. There’s room for everyone.”

Pilar Blasco

Right: Satisfaction Iberia’s version of The Floor. Below: Video game format Time Zone for Max. Bottom: Mediacrest’s Boom! for Mediaset

Comedy format Atasco involved a creative copro model

Onza right road

Back in 2018, I received an email from Spanish production company Onza asking me to amend a news story I’d written about Pequeñas Coincidencias (Little Coincidences). The firm had just coproduced the first series for Amazon’s Prime Video in Spain, alongside Atresmedia Studios (now Buendía) and MedioLimón, and it asked that I refer to the show as an ‘Amazon exclusive’ rather than an ‘Amazon original.’

At first, it seemed like a minor technicality, but it later became clear there was more to it: beyond a mere change of words, this marked a key di erence in their business model, as well as a clear declaration of intent. At a time when streamers were establishing their originals model – a strategy that would dominate the market for the next five years – Onza was licensing its content and retaining commercial exploitation rights.

“We are creatives and producers, but we are also businesspeople,” explains Onza’s founder and president, José María Irisarri. “And that motivates us, drives us and opens up endless possibilities.”

While many producers across the world have had to scramble in the past year to cobble together survival strategies – usually involving coproductions, partnerships and securing public and private funding – Onza seems to have been well prepared.

“

company has produced over 100 hours of fiction and over 250 hours of entertainment and documentaries, and distributes both its own and third-party content.

Among its projects are the historical fantasy series El Ministerio del Tiempo (The Department of Time), the Spanish-Mexican coproduction Hernán, about the conquistador Hernán Cortés, the thriller Parot and its recent spin-o Perverso, as well as factual content like Comerse el mundo and a recent venture into film production with its first three movies.

With an annual turnover of about €25m (US$28m), Onza falls into the middle range of Spanish production companies – neither boutique nor one of the industry giants that dominate the TV market. However, in 2022, Onza joined the growing ranks of local production companies backed by foreign investment when Italian company Garbo Produzioni, headed by Maite Bulgari, acquired a stake in the business.

As producers, our role is to adapt, to be flexible, allowing the client to be more cautious and reducing risks. You need to be very nimble in this game. It’s a long-distance race.

José María Irisarri Onza

“We go from boom to bust, like the teeth of a saw. There’s a surge where clients are acquired at great expense, followed by a restructuring to reduce costs and then it starts all over again. As producers, our role is to adapt, to be flexible, allowing the client to be more cautious and reducing risks. You need to be very nimble in this game. It’s a long-distance race.”

One of the most prominent names in Spanish television, Irisarri boasts over 30 years of experience in the entertainment industry and a string of notable achievements, including the founding of major companies such as Globomedia (now part of The Mediapro Studio), Vértice 360º, and Notro Films.

Since launching Onza in 2014 with Gonzalo Sagardía and Nicolás Bergareche, the Madrid-based production

Why make the move? “Because size matters,” Irisarri says, bluntly.

“This is a marathon, and it takes time to consolidate. We want Onza to remain a reference brand and continue building. Just as we did with Garbo, we’re open to making further acquisitions or welcoming investment that adds value to the overall project.

We’re not ruling anything out. Our goal is long-term sustainability.”

What sets Onza apart from many of its peers is perhaps its entrepreneurial mindset, with international expansion playing a central role.

In the case of Garbo, the partnership is about working together on “models where we complement each other,” Irisarri explains. This means, on the one hand, bringing Onza’s IP to the Italian market, including the comedy series Atasco (Tra c Jam), the docuseries Adictos a la pantalla (Young Addictions) and “a major primetime entertainment show.” On the other hand, Onza is working on the Spanish

For José María Irisarri at Spanish production and distribution company Onza, staying ahead in the coming years will depend on mastering the art of financing and expanding alongside strategic partners.

By Pina Mezzera

José María Irisarri

adaptation of the Italian police drama La porta rossa, which has already aired for three seasons on Italy’s Rai 2.

Other key markets Onza is eyeing for expansion include, unsurprisingly, Latin America and the US Hispanic market. In 2021, Onza launched its subsidiary Onza Américas in Miami. Since then, it has produced the suspense series Isla brava for TelevisaUnivision’s ViX platform, with the second season now in post-production. It has also partnered with Mexican producer BH5 Studios, led by Rodrigo Trujillo, to develop and coproduce series for both Spain and Mexico, and is working on projects such as a Latin American adaptation of Atasco

However, Irisarri is frank about the challenges of working in Latin America: “It’s tough. It’s a very, very difficult path, but one that can be won in time.

“We’ve been chipping away at it for years now and we’ve built teams. Mexican teams come here and we provide solutions there. We need to find that specific local development in Mexico. It will happen, I’m sure of it, but it’s not going to be immediate.”

In the meantime, Onza filmed the Mexican beach scenes for Isla brava on Tenerife and the Basque Country is currently hosting two seasons of “another Mexican series” that the company is producing. This trend is becoming increasingly common due to Spain’s tax incentives, which offer up to 70% reimbursement on local production expenses, which stand in contrast to Mexico’s lack of a national audiovisual incentives programme.

What is definitely on the agenda for Onza, however, is coproduction – although in its case, the producer takes on some less conventional collaborations.

In a rare practice for Spain, Onza has been striking coproduction deals for years with creators, screenwriters, directors and actors, where the talent handles the creative side and also shares in the financial returns.

Onza is also one of the few Spanish production companies to have successfully brought international coproductions to fruition. Once again ahead of the curve, in 2018 it tackled the ambitious series Hernán with Mexican studio Dopamine, achieving a multi-platform release that spanned SVoD (Prime Video), pay TV (History Channel) and free-to-air TV (TV Azteca).

And if we’re talking about creative coproduction models, Atasco is a prime example. Created by Rodrigo Sopeña and released on Prime Video in Spain in May, the series features 25 well-known Spanish comedians and tells stories set during a massive traffic jam outside Madrid. Onza’s partner for this project? Publicis Rebellion, the new content division of the global media and communications agency Publicis Groupe.

“We’re already developing two more seasons of Atasco for Spain, which is hugely significant, and we’re planning versions in Italy and Latin America. The success of this first experience with Publicis Rebellion is leading us to other projects together,” Irisarri says.

At a time when brands and media agencies are among the most sought-after partners for project financing, he adds: “It’s a clear trend: brands want to be part of content in a way that’s less explicit and more ingrained.”

This focus on retaining IP naturally benefits Onza Distribution, the sales arm responsible for marketing finished programmes and formats across territories and platforms worldwide. This division, too, is tapping into Onza’s broader diversification strategy, expanding into new genres and territories over the past 18 months.

Irisarri puts a number on the advantage: “Thanks to tax incentives, we’re able to offer production services from Spain that can reduce Latin American production costs by up to 40%.”

With countries increasingly competing in the realm of tax and cash rebates, the key challenge for Spain in the coming years, according to Irisarri, will be maintaining quality. “It may seem obvious, but it’s not: if you don’t deliver the service on time and in a detailed, transparent manner, it’s not going to be profitable or optimal for anyone. It’s not about the sale; it’s the ability to execute that makes all the difference.”

Interestingly, when it comes to European productions, the one financing option that Onza is hesitant to pursue is public funding. “I’m not a fan of politics. We don’t rely on European funds; we’ve never depended on subsidies,” Irisarri states.

Onza Distribution has added sports docuseries from Spanish producer Wakai, Italian series like the thriller Flowers Over the Inferno, Portuguese telenovelas like Cacao, Chilean historical miniseries Los mil días de Allende (Allende: The 1,000 Days) and even Czech productions, such as the period drama Golden Swan

When asked where he sees opportunities, Irisarri’s answer is immediate: more feel-good content.

“We need to make content less complicated. Without being overly sentimental, when we’re appealing to a broad audience, we need to focus much more on feelgood content that covers a wide range of topics with rigor and different perspectives. I believe in that strongly, and I mention it in every meeting we have with network and OTT executives.”

And what would he like to see more of in those meetings?

“I think the focus will be on programmers and content buyers being more willing to take risks,” he says. “I feel there’s a bit of hesitation to take a risk, to break away from trends rather than following them.”

Filming under way on Onza’s recent thriller Perverso, a spin-off from crime drama Parot

Suspense series

Isla brava for ViX

To Max e ect

Agreater openness to coproductions and the embracing of a variety of genres will be the defining features of the next phase for Max in Spain, explains Alberto Carullo, the streamer’s Madrid-based VP of local original production for Iberia and Italy.

This comes as its parent company, the US media giant Warner Bros Discovery (WBD), continues to rigorously pursue efficiencies across its global business as it seeks to cut costs and grow profits through its streaming operation.

Having originated as HBO Spain in 2016 in the early days of the streaming wars, Max is technically the youngest streaming platform in the Spanish market.

Launched on May 21, the service, formerly known as HBO Max, has a broader range of genres than its predecessor and a new content team led by former Warner Bros International TV Production (WBITVP) Spain head Carullo, who joined the company in January this year.

Max’s launch coincided with contraction across the industry –something Carullo suggests was perhaps inevitable given the huge amounts of spending required to launch platforms internationally in recent years.

“What we’re seeing globally in the industry is that we’ve entered a new phase of streaming. First came the launches, with massive investments, and now we’re in a consolidation phase marked by the rationalisation or optimisation of investments. So rather

An appetite for scripted coproductions and unscripted formats marks the latest phase for Warner Bros Discovery’s streamer Max in Spain.

By Gonzalo Larrea

than talking about cuts, I’d talk about efficiencies,” he says.

In streaming, the search for efficiencies means that content can no longer be produced “at all costs,” he believes, but must be made with the ambition of acquiring and retaining subscribers.

“We cannot lose sight of this because, in the end, we are an industry and a business that has to find a balance between investment and expected results. And now we’re simply at a stage in the industry and the company where this measurement or search for balance has become more evident.”

In terms of content, the response will be to shift focus from volume to relevance and return on investment.

“It’s not just about how many pieces we plan to produce per year or how many pieces the service should have; every project must have a dimension related to its investment,” Carullo explains.

“It’s about valuing projects editorially, but also in terms of the entity and scale of each one, because the high production volume we’ve seen from so many platform launches has inevitably led to an increase in production costs.”

This cost increase, according to the executive, is one of the challenges

the industry faces today, which he believes should collectively work towards returning to “slightly more balanced” levels.

Nevertheless, Max is preparing a robust slate of new releases in both scripted and unscripted genres. The titles in production include dramas Cuando nadie nos ve (Zeta Studios), Furia (Producciones Mandarina) and Pubertat (Distinto Films, Corte y Confección de Películas and Uri Films), while it is also working on docureality formats such as Pekin Express (WBITVP Spain) and Naked & Afraid (WBITVP Spain).

Created and directed by Félix

El caso Sancho

Pubertat, created, directed and starring Leticia Dolera, is in production

Sabroso, Furia is described as a contemporary portrait of five women and brings five well-known actresses together on screen for the first time: Spaniards Candela Peña, Carmen Machi, Nathalie Poza and Pilar Castro and Argentinian Cecilia Roth.

“Thanks to the vision of Félix Sabroso and his extraordinary ability to manage the balance between drama and comedy, together with the opportunity to bring together for the first time five iconic actresses with

“ We’ve entered a new phase of streaming. First came the launches, with massive investments, and now we’re in a consolidation phase marked by the rationalisation or optimisation of investments.

Alberto Carullo

extraordinary talent, we are sure this exciting story will connect with the public,” says Carullo.

The series centres on women willing to do anything in the face of extreme situations such as extortion, oppression, deception, exclusion and manipulation. Five conflicts develop driven by a ‘butterfly effect,’ one following the other.

Carullo, Antonio Trashorras and David Ocaña are the executive producers on behalf of Max, alongside

Santi Botello and Tedy Villalba Jr for Producciones Mandarina. The series will premiere on Max in 2025.

These productions will join recent releases like the docuseries El caso Sancho (Cuarzo Producciones), the dating show Naked Attraction (Fremantle), and announcements in the documentary genre.

On this path towards balance and efficiency, coproduction is key and is already being explored by Max, Carullo acknowledges.

“We are at a point where we are undoubtedly beginning to study, analyse and look at models to optimise investments that we hadn’t previously pursued fully. Until now, we worked with originals and acquisitions, but coproduction exists in the middle. We’re also studying and analysing projects and evaluating each one in terms of benefit, return, project interest and capacity to tackle it.”

In fact, Pubertat, created, directed and performed by Leticia Dolera (Perfect Life), will be presented on the platform as a Max Original, even though it is actually an acquisition of a series coproduced by Distinto Films, Corte y Confección de Películas, Uri Films, Catalan public broadcaster 3Cat and Belgium’s AT-Productions.

“Content always comes first, but then we have to see under what conditions and with what scope, rights and breadth we can access it. We have to examine each specific case, but undoubtedly, coproduction is one of the lines we intend to work on.”

Entertainment and non-scripted formats will also be tools for seeking efficiencies in the platform’s next phase, given the agility and lower investment they allow, as demonstrated by El caso Sancho, a “real-time” docuseries closely tied to current events and which will add episodes as the case progresses.

“With entertainment, we can play more tactically because there is more flexibility and greater agility. This allows us to complement and complete the offering to sustain our offer for subscribers throughout the year,” he explains. However, he clarifies that this does not mean fiction will be sidelined.

“In terms of budget percentage, fiction will undoubtedly remain the genre in which we will make the largest investment. Fiction is part of the definition, the history of this service, and it is part of our identity.”

In both fiction and entertainment, the platform’s priority will be to find “iconic” brands, stories or talent for the Spanish market, Carullo says.

“Of the projects we currently have in development, some are based on literary IPs, although not all. There are others based on different elements that help with this initial connection, either because they relate to situations, events or characters that are already recognisable to the audience.

“It is true that for the end-user, screenwriters are not as recognisable, but from our perspective, when evaluating projects, they are,” adds Carullo, who, for now, is not focusing on children’s content, daily series, young-adult programmes or comedies. And what about films? “Let’s just say that one has to prioritise. Films are at a point where we haven’t started in a determined way,” he says.

However, Warner Spain, Max’s sister company, does produce films in Spain, and the streamer has participated in some cases as a coproducer, such as in Pídeme lo que quieras, an adaptation of a novel by Megan Maxwell.

“There are other formulas that are not purely originals. This route exists and is also important to us,” says Carullo.

Félix Sabroso’s Furia brings together a high-profile female cast

A new chapter for IP

Demand for Spanish-language content is booming as both broadcasters and international streamers capitalise on the success of hit shows such as Netflix’s La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) and Élite (Elite).

Research by analytics outfit Omdia reveals Spanishlanguage programmes are now the third most-watched in the world – behind content from the US and Brazil – with 13.5 million hours watched by global viewers by June this year.

It’s a trend happening against the backdrop of the Spanish government’s ‘Spain, Audiovisual Hub o f Europe’ strategic plan. Launched in 2021, the scheme will see more than €1.6bn (US$1.8bn) invested to transform the domestic screen sector by 2025.

In turn, the explosion in popularity of Spanish content has led to a hunger for TV projects based on literary IP, as risk-averse buyers seek to commission shows with builtin fanbases from bestselling book franchises.

Scenic Rights is a major player in this space. Founded over 20 years ago by Focus Group, the agency specialises in the sale of TV and film adaptation rights to literary works. With o ces in Madrid and Barcelona, as well as LA, Mexico City and Prague, Scenic Rights brokers deals between authors, publishers and literary agencies and the producers who want to bring their books to the screen.

High-profile shows in which Scenic Rights has been involved recently include Reina Roja Queen), the thriller series adapted from Spanish author Juan GómezJurado’s bestseller for Amazon’s Prime Video, and upcoming Netflix psychological thriller La última noche en Tremore Beach (The Last Night at Tremore Beach), based on Mikel Santiago’s book.

With fees for book rights soaring and international players muscling in on Spanish-language literary IP, local players are battling against the odds to bring bestsellers to the screen.

By Neil Batey

through a golden period,” says Sydney Borjas, CEO of Scenic Rights. “In Spain, there is high demand for thrillers, comedies and books based on real events, such as biographies and true crime.

“In the case of Reina Roja and other series from Spanish-speaking markets, at the request of the producers themselves, we take charge not only of the sale of the adaptation rights but also of the hiring of the development team, aiming to create synergies between the books’ authors and the scriptwriters of the series.

“We always operate under the principle that the client requests these services, and in such cases, we also act as agents for the creatives. Additionally, thanks to our business and legal a airs team specialising in the audiovisual business, we have provided support in negotiating coproductions with investors we’ve brought into projects.”

“Spanish-language literary IP is going

Scenic Rights’ role as a conduit between the worlds of production and publishing is exemplified by Catalan prodco Isla Audiovisual’s plans to adapt the Kraken detective books by Planeta Prizewinning writer Eva García Sáenz de Urturi.

Scenic Rights represented author María Dueñas when she created the Vix Original dramatic comedy

“Spanish-language literary IP is going through a golden period. In Spain, there is high demand for thrillers, comedies and books based on real events, such as biographies and true crime.

Sydney Borjas Scenic Rights

Los 

Netflix’s Ni una más was adapted from the book by Miguel Sáez Carral

Isla Audiovisual is adapting the Kraken books and Unicorn Content has picked up the rights to Mira a esa Chica

Artistas Primeros Trazos (The Artists: First Strokes), coproduced by Isla Audiovisual and 360 Powwow in 2022. Borjas was so impressed by Isla’s work on the series that he personally endorsed the prodco during negotiations to adapt Urturi’s hugely successful Kraken books.

Securing the rights to the Kraken series, which has sold four million copies and been translated into 20 languages, was a major coup for a modest-sized outfit like Isla Audiovisual. “Finding literary IPs is usually very complicated for a little company like ours because it’s usually just too expensive,” says Manuel Sanabria, creative director of Isla. “It was a complete surprise that the rights were available to Kraken. It was great luck for us that Sydney spoke positively about Isla to reach an agreement with Eva García.”

Isla is developing the first of the novels, The Black Book of Hours, into a 6x45’ series for an as-yet-undisclosed platform but hopes to build the project out into a long-running franchise, taking inspiration from later Kraken books such as The Angel of the City. Sanabria says having access to such well-established IP could be transformational for Isla.

“It could travel around the world, because the Kraken books are very universal mainstream thrillers, like Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code,” he says. “We know the power of literary IP for the platforms, so when we started pitching the project it immediately created a great deal of interest.”

“I’m advised about novels that are due to be published, but to be honest, most of the books I acquire the rights to are the ones I’ve bought to read myself and am passionate about.

José Manuel Lorenzo DLO Producciones

adaptation of Javier Cercas’ non-fiction book Anatomía de un instante (Anatomy of an Instant). Lorenzo advises producers to develop passion projects from their favourite novels rather than chase the rights to overpriced bestsellers.

He says: “I’m advised about novels that are due to be published, but to be honest, most of the books I acquire the rights to are the ones I’ve bought to read myself and am passionate about. The most important thing [with projects based on literary IP] is being successful in our own country, then from Spain you can conquer the world.”

In April, at the last MipTV market, TV executives bemoaned the sudden escalation in the cost of licensing books for adaptation, noting that the literary sector is cashing in by demanding higher fees for rights. In his role as content executive at Banijay, Steve Matthews helps the group’s producers develop titles with global appeal, with literary IP playing a pivotal role.

Matthews told delegates in Cannes: “The book market has immediately shot up crazily. It’s in response to the conservative nature of buyers. They’re looking for more proof of concept than they were a few years ago when they were prepared to take on more risk.”

It’s a similar situation in Spain, where the competition is so fierce, literary rights are often snapped up before books are even published.

“The prices are going up and if you want to go after a popular book you have to be very aggressive in terms of your o er,” says Iván Díaz, head of international at producer and distributor Filmax.

José Manuel Lorenzo, chairman and founder of Banijay-backed DLO Producciones, is a veteran of literary adaptations. La caza, Monterpdido (The Hunt, Monteperdido) premiered in 2019 on Spanish broadcaster RTVE and was created by noir fiction novelist Agustin Martinez, based on his book Monteperdido. There have since been two sequels: The Hunt, Tramuntana and The Hunt, Guadiana, while French commercial network TF1 is developing a local-language version, titled RivièrePerdue, with Banijay France’s Terence Films and Gétévé Productions.

DLO also produced Movistar+ and Peacock’s 2020 ),

DLO also produced Movistar+ and Peacock’s 2020 historical drama Dime Quien Soy (Tell Me Who I Am inspired by Julia Navarro’s epic international espionage book, and Disney+’s Las Largas Sombras ( female-led thriller based on Elia Barceló’s novel.

streaming giant’s most-viewed titles. Much

“Nowadays you must be involved at a much earlier stage. You can’t wait until a book has sold a particular

Agustin Martinez’s La caza, Monterpdido debuted on RTVE in Spain 

Past Lies), a

Most recently, DLO adapted Miguel Sáez Carral’s book Ni una más (Raising Voices) for Netflix. The series, about a teenage girl who claims she was raped by someone at her school, recently rated in the top 20 of Netflix’s What We Watched engagement report, which ranks the streaming giant’s most-viewed titles. Much like 13 Reasons Why, based on Jay Asher’s novel, the success of Ni una más proves that the young adult genre lends itself to small-screen reinterpretations.

“Platforms and channels are always very keen to target the younger demographic,” says Lorenzo. “It’s very di cult to attract young viewers to TV because they’re more connected to TikTok and social media platforms, but when you hit them [with the right TV project] they’ll follow you to the end.”

In the literary adaptation space, DLO is currently producing a fourth season of caza, as well as developing an ambitious

number of units before trying to get the rights, because it will already be too late by then.”

Barcelona-based Filmax has adapted numerous books for both the TV and film markets. In 1999, the company produced horror film The Nameless, based on Ramsey Campbell’s book, and is now developing a TV series inspired by the same IP.

“The Spanishlanguage literary IP sector has not been as cannibalised as the English-language market, where powe ul studios scoop up potentially lucrative book rights. There are still many opportunities for producers in our market.

Nando Vila Exile Content Studio

“At Filmax, we’re keen on adaptations because it helps to start with IP that has already proven its value,” Díaz says. “Sometimes a buyer has read a book we’re pitching and has a connection with it. That makes it easier to make a deal because you don’t have to explain anything about the project – they already see the potential.”

Spanish prodco Unicorn Content recently acquired the rights to Mira a esa Chica (Look at that Girl), winner of the Tusquets Editores Novel Prize in 2022 and written by Cristina Araújo Gámir. The Madrid-based prodco, owned by Mediterráneo Group, will adapt the work with screenwriter Estíbaliz Burgaleta, while Begoña Álvarez, Unicorn’s director of fiction, will lead development.

In an increasingly cutthroat environment, Unicorn’s strategy is to build close relationships with authors and cut out intermediaries such as brokers and agents.

“We do it all by ourselves because it’s important to get a real emotional connection with the author,” says Víctor García Martín, general manager at Unicorn Content. “If possible, we try to go directly to a book’s author or publisher.

“Once we got in front of the right partners, the power of this iconic IP dating back over 100 years was absolutely key,” Sergio Pizzolante, president of commercial and distribution at Secuoya Studios, told C21 at SeriesFest in Denver in May. Secuoya is now adapting Javier Cercas’ novel Terra Alta for Movistar Plus+.

With 500 million Spanish speakers globally, it’s little wonder that international players are investing heavily in content for Spanish, Latin American and US Hispanic audience. Netflix spent US$50m adapting Colombian author Gabriel García Márquez’s classic work One Hundred Years of Solitude into a 16-episode epic, produced by Bogota-based prodco Dynamo and scheduled to stream later this year.

“One Hundred Years of Solitude is kind of the white whale – people have been trying to adapt it for years,” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos told the Royal Television Society London Convention in September. “It’s one of the big-swing bets that our teams have been making around the world and I can’t wait for people to see it.”

Spanish-language studio Exile Content, which has o ces in LA and Mexico City, adapts literary IP from both Spain and Lat Am. The Candle Media-owned outfit is currently developing a scripted feature based on an upcoming book by Colombian journalist Daniel Coronell. It details the incredible real-life story of four children who survived a plane crash and 40 days in the Amazon rainforest before being rescued by Colombian special forces last summer.

, which is

course, but it’s not always the most important

“In the case of Look at that Girl about the victim of a gang rape, it was about communicating with Cristina and starting a creative journey with respect and collaboration. Unicorn’s experience in producing current a airs and documentary content convinced the author of our vision for this project. Money matters, of course, but it’s not always the most important thing.”

Nando Vila, head of studio at Exile Content Studio, says Spanish producers shouldn’t worry about being outbid for Spanish-language IP by deep-pocketed global streamers

Studios produces Spanish-language , based on the and studios.

The hunt for IP sometimes sees Spanish prodcos look beyond their own borders. Madrid-headquartered Secuoya Studios produces Spanish-language swashbuckling series Zorro exploits of the masked vigilante created by US pulp writer Johnston McCulley in 1919. Commissioned by Prime Video in the US, Latin America and Spain, the show has been sold into 28 territories, with buyers including France’s M6, Italy’s Mediaset, Belgium’s VTM and Hungary’s RTL Klub.

“Obviously the Spanish-language market has grown a lot since the emergence of the streamers, with hit shows such as your premium.

Solitude shows the global streamers are now

“Obviously the Spanish-language market has grown a lot since the emergence of the streamers, with hit shows Money Heist travelling far beyond Spanish markets,” he says. “IP – a way of distinguishing your project in the marketplace – is now at a premium. The case of One Hundred Years of Solitude shows the global streamers are now looking to adapt iconic Spanish-language IP.

“However, the Spanish-language literary IP sector has not been as cannibalised as the English-language market, where powerful studios scoop up potentially lucrative book rights. There are still many opportunities for producers in our market. If you’re clever, you can still find some good stu .

studios scoop up potentially lucrative clever,

“Fundamentally, at the end of the day, the best content [based on Spanish-language IP] comes from a local

best recipe for success,

“Fundamentally, at the end of the day, the best content [based on Spanish-language IP] comes from a local sensibility. Making IP work in local countries is the best recipe for success, then hopefully the content can travel beyond its own borders.”

Víctor García Martín

Netflix’s US$50m version of Gabriel García Márquez’s classic One Hundred Years of Solitude

Showtime for Spain

SkyShowtime, a joint venture between Comcast and Paramount, is looking to work with Spanish producers on not only “contemporary, broad and accessible” scripted projects but also on unscripted.

Specifically, true crime and sports-skewing documentaries featuring local stories and personalities are on the cards as the streamer continues to embrace unscripted programming.

Since launching in late 2022, SkyShowtime has debuted original Spanish-language series including Bosé, The Envoys, The Invisible Ladies, Fleeting Lies and season two of One Way or Another

While those titles were acquired – along with recent newcomer Las Pelotaris 1926 – the streamer put a marker down for its local ambitions with a greenlight for Mamen Mayo (8x30’), a comedydrama starring Sílvia Abril, Pablo Capuz and Mona Martínez about an inheritance mediator, produced by Nostromo Pictures.

The show joined SkyShowtime’s first locally commissioned original production out of Poland,

Pan-European streamer SkyShowtime is open for business in Spain as it looks to commission local-language content across both scripted and unscripted, reveals chief content o icer Kai Finke. By Pina Mezzera

Śleboda, based on the critically acclaimed crime novel of the same name.

“Nostromo is a production company we have great faith in, with a solid track record. The project came to us very well packaged, bringing with it a potential audience by featuring top-tier talent both in front of and behind the camera. If successful, a show like this could easily see additional seasons,” Finke says.

“The series has fantastic pacing. It’s simultaneously a drama, a family drama and a comedy. It’s mainstream, it’s broad. Mamen Mayo is the tip of the iceberg in terms of local-language original commissions. We’re working on a lot more projects as we speak. Mamen Mayo is a dramedy, and we want to continue

creating those, but you’ll also see some very, very different titles.

“Spain has a great tradition of producing fantastic TV, but the production levels and both on- and offscreen talent has really gone up a level in the last 10 years. Spanish content resonates globally and has attracted meaningful audiences for SkyShowtime. That’s very encouraging as we make this push into commissioning original series; it’s an exciting next step. Audiences here in Spain want local voices and something that feels familiar.”

The platform has a base in Madrid, run by Iberian content director Juan Mayne, who worked alongside Finke for several years at Netflix. Finke says Mayne is open to pitches for drama series that are “commercial with an edge and not too niche.”

Coproductions are likely to be the most common financing model, although SkyShowtime might consider providing most of the budget for an ambitious project if it ticks the right boxes. Finke says the platform is most likely to “embrace a certain level of experience” when choosing Spanish production partners to collaborate with.

Projects don’t necessarily need to have bigticket IP attached to them but any kind of built-in audience familiarity is a bonus.

“It helps, but if you look at Mamen Mayo, for example, that wasn’t based on bestselling book IP, and that’s perfectly fine,” the exec says.

SkyShowtime’s factual orders include Schmeichel, a coproduction that chronicles the life of former Manchester United and Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel. Simon Lazenby and Victoria Barrell from Sylver Entertainment are the doc’s producers, while UK distributor Dogwoof is attached.

Klitschko: More Than a Fight, meanwhile, is directed by Kevin Macdonald and offers an in-depth look at former heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko and his brother Wladimir.

As well as scripted projects, Finke was at Conecta Fiction & Entertainment in Spain over the summer seeking pitches for Spanish-skewing sports docs, as well as true crime factual projects.

“Sports personality docs are definitely super attractive and interesting for us,” he says.

“Unscripted is something we will be pursuing more. True crime is 100% a subgenre that appeals to us,

SkyShowtime’s order for comedydrama Mamen Mayo signalled its interest in local originals

as those kinds of shows have both local and global appeal.

“We want to be a broad, mainstream platform that attracts a wide range of audiences within households, appealing to both younger and older, male and female viewers.”

In its quest to reach a broad audience, SkyShowtime launched in around 20 European territories in late 2022, with a catalogue led by blockbuster films like Oppenheimer and Top Gun: Maverick and popular US series Yellowstone and Tulsa King

“In addition to the excellent content from our shareholders, we were fortunate to acquire and premiere a substantial amount of local-language content across our territories. In Spain, this meant many series found a home on our service,” Finke explains.

Left: Crime drama Śleboda was SkyShowtime’s first original from Poland. Below: Acquisition Las Pelotaris 1926 was commissioned by TelevisaUnivision’s streamer ViX

genres like science fiction and horror are already well covered. “There’s nowhere in the world that produces these genres better than Hollywood,” Finke states firmly.

These releases served as a test, confirming what the team already knew: that there is “a great need, a great demand, and a great passion” among Spanish audiences for local stories, and that Spanish creativity has “tremendous resonance” beyond its borders.

“When you’re building a streaming service, it’s for

“ I wouldn’t be too concerned about the Spanish industry – quite the contrary. I believe when it comes to the stories being developed, produced, and released in Spain, the future remains very bright.

Kai Finke SkyShowtime

the long term,” Finke says. “And in the long term, you can’t just rely on acquisitions or on shows you’re licensing from third parties or that your shareholders are fortunate enough to premiere in a given territory. You have to take that leap. You have to drive original local programming to offer increasingly exclusive content in the future.”

While acknowledging that the industry has experienced challenges in recent years, Finke remains highly optimistic about Spain’s position on the global stage.

He also doesn’t see SkyShowtime as the “natural home for an original telenovela,” and, at least for now, feels “there might be other platforms better suited” to young-adult shows.

What SkyShowtime is looking for are “mainstream programming categories” that resonate with “a somewhat mainstream audience,” such as crime, drama and comedy. Finke’s content teams also appreciate projects that come with an established audience thanks to existing IP and those from trusted production companies or teams that can deliver “a tone that resonates more widely.”

As a first window for between three and five local productions each year, SkyShowtime’s isn’t worried about volume, Finke explains. “We can grow organically to achieve more volume, driven by the success and impact of the content. But that’s not our strategic aim. Our focus is very much on delivering quality and value to our subscribers.

“We’re commissioning originals, considering coproductions with other broadcaster partners and acquiring second-window content. But we’re not in the game for volume,” he adds.

“I wouldn’t be too concerned about the Spanish industry – quite the contrary. Although we’ve just come through a somewhat challenging period for the industry overall, I believe when it comes to the stories being developed, produced, and released in Spain, the future remains very bright,” he says.

produced, and released in Spain, the so

Asked what it takes for a project to catch SkyShowtime’s attention, Finke explains that, in the platform’s current early stage, it is “doing many things for the first time,” so there isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” approach to pitching. However, he does offer a few pointers.

In fact, the “open for business” sign at SkyShowtime is especially relevant as it is a European service. “We’re not a global platform. We’re not looking to hoard rights. Actually, it’s quite the opposite: we’re very open to cross-continental partnerships,” Finke says.

Latin America is a key region in this strategy. In July, SkyShowtime launched Las Pelotaris 1926 in Spain, a series originally commissioned by ViX, TelevisaUnivision’s streaming service, with reach across the US and Latin America.

“It makes a lot of sense that for Spanish and Latin American stories, platforms collaborate and see where there’s common ground. We’re keeping a close eye on what others, like Telemundo or Globo, are doing. We know some of their stories can resonate here, just as they know some of our stories from Spain could resonate with their audiences,” Finke explains.

few pointers.

With a strong pipeline from Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures,

“We’re definitely very open to doing business, commissioning and coproducing content. That’s why we’re always on the look-out for projects we didn’t commission ourselves. And we’ll always ask the question: could we be involved or collaborate?”

With additional reporting by Neil Batey.

Rooted in creativity

In 2021, still in the midst of the pandemic, Secuoya Content Group announced the creation of Secuoya Studios, marking a bold new venture for the Spanish company in the creation and production of original content.

Until then, Secuoya was known across Spain and Latin America as a major production service company. It’s no coincidence Netflix chose its impressive Madrid Content City complex as its European production hub.

But the launch of Secuoya Studios signalled a new beginning for the company. “Three years ago, we defined a strategic shift to place content at the core of the company’s vision. Today, we’ve far exceeded the goals we set,” notes executive chairman Raúl Berdonés.

Zorro, an ambitious US$40m production based on the classic vigilante character and unveiled at last year’s Mipcom and coproduced with Amazon’s Prime Video and France’s Mediawan, is perhaps its most well-known project.

M6 in France, Mediaset in Italy, VTM in Flemish Belgium and RTL Klub in Hungary are among the broadcasters to have picked up the show, which is one of the most expensive Spanish-language series of all time.

But its production engine hasn’t slowed down since then, with a modern adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo sold to ViX and Movistar Plus+, as well as upcoming projects like psychological thriller Matices (Shades) for SkyShowtime, crime thriller Terra Alta for Movistar Plus+, historical series Los 39 (The 39) and La encrucijada, the Spanish adaptation of Turkish drama Brave & Beautiful for Atresmedia.

The company is also developing a prequel to Zorro, starring Ted Lasso’s Cristo Fernández, who appears as the swashbuckling hero in the first episode, but his character is killed o and Spanish actor Miguel Bernardeau then dons the mask and cape for the rest of the series. The origin story of Fernández’s Zorro will be told in the prequel series.

Fernández’s version of the character – real name Po-

Secuoya Studios is accelerating its global expansion with bigbudget productions, plans to enter the UK market and a bold move into English-language content production.

By Gonzalo Larrea

mahn-kwakurr – is indigenous and protects his people from oppression. The actor, who plays soccer star Dani Rojas in Ted Lasso, has said the Zorro prequel will double down on these themes.

In total, the studio has more than 20 projects in development, spanning series, telenovelas, films and unscripted content. According to its latest financial report, the group generated €106.2m (US$111.5m) in revenue in 2023, with the studios accounting for 45% of its EBITDA –a result attributed to its IP retention strategy.

The cornerstone of Secuoya Studios’ model is precisely the retention of IP through coproduction deals or risk-based investments, supported by its extensive infrastructure, which ranges from in-house creators to a fully equipped production hub at Madrid Content City.

also control all production-related aspects: our

“We have a mindset very much like the traditional studios in the US, where not only do we have all the talent and creative development in-house, but we also control all production-related aspects: our own sets, our own VFX studios, post-production facilities and business a airs teams. Everything is integrated within the studio,” explains Berdonés.

“What we’ve done, with a very crossdisciplinary approach, is control the entire value chain, which is a di erentiating factor. We are a studio, and we produce for ourselves, then sell to the world.”

“ What we’ve done, with a very crossdisciplinary approach, is control the entire value chain, which is a di erentiating factor. We are a studio, and we produce for ourselves, then sell

According to Berdonés, the company is now working on projects with budgets of over US$60m, while also gearing up to begin producing in English – one of its key goals for the coming years.

“In three years, we want to be

disciplinary approach, is control the entire value of over US$60m, while also gearing up to the world.

Crime thriller Terra Alta in production

Spain offers some of the most competitive financial incentives for international producers. The primary one is a tax rebate covering up to 30% of eligible production expenses. Specifically, 30% is reimbursed on the first €1m (US$1.1m) spent in Spain and 25% on the amount beyond that. Certain regions offer enhanced incentives: the Canary Islands provide a 54% rebate on the first €1m and 45% on the remainder, while Navarre offers 35%, and the Basque Country up to 60%.

Beyond financial incentives, Spain boasts topnotch infrastructure with over 50 airports and the world’s second-longest high-speed rail system, ensuring excellent connectivity. The country also provides costeffective production options, fast-track work visas for industry professionals and access to highly skilled crews and modern facilities. With regional tax benefits, strong intellectual property protection and a high quality of life, Spain is a fantastic place to work.

The financial incentives in Spain are consistent across various audiovisual projects, but some differences exist. Films and TV series can access the standard 30% tax rebate on eligible expenses. Animation projects are also eligible, with additional support sometimes available through sectorspecific grants. Documentaries benefit from the same core incentives, although additional funding may vary depending on cultural significance or regional focus.

Shot from all sides in Spain

Elisa Garcia Grande (left), executive director of ICEX-Invest in Spain, outlines the country’s appeal as a top filming location, highlighting its competitive tax incentives, state-of-the-art facilities and a highly skilled talent pool.

Crown, Killing Eve, House of the Dragon and the Netflix FrancoBelgian coproduction Under Paris. The country also attracted productions like Warrior Nun, The Witcher, French series Zorro, Netflix fantasy Kaos and the German series Für immer Sommer These examples underscore Spain’s growing reputation as a goto destination for global productions.

The financial incentives have significantly benefitted Spain’s production community by attracting international projects, leading to increased investment and a higher volume of work for local talent. This influx has also spurred investment in new studios and facilities, enhancing the country’s infrastructure and providing valuable training and professional development opportunities.

In 2022, ICEX-Invest in Spain launched the Spain Audiovisual Bureau, a key tool under the strategic plan ‘Spain, Audiovisual Hub of Europe,’ backed by over €1.6bn in public investment until 2025. The Bureau serves as a one-stop shop for companies interested in audiovisual projects in Spain, simplifying the process for both Spanish and foreign producers. It offers free, centralised support through a team of consultants specialising in various production stages, business implementation, and legal and tax matters.

Spain’s appeal as a filming location is reflected by the numerous international projects it hosts. Recent high-profile productions include The

Coproductions are a crucial component of ICEX’s international strategy. They expand the market for Spanish content and attract foreign investment. Spain’s strategic position between Europe and the Americas offers access to a vast consumer market, making it an attractive partner for coproductions. The combination of fiscal incentives and coproduction support makes Spain exceptionally favorable for international productions.

For companies looking to establish offices in the country, ICEX-Invest in Spain provides extensive support, including regulatory assistance and tailored sector advice. The lack of restrictions on foreign investments and Spain’s strategic location between Europe and Latin America further enhance its appeal. Notable examples include BBC Studios acquiring Brutal Media, Nevision setting up in Barcelona and Stage Fifty building a new soundstage facility in Murcia.

The arrival of global streamers has cemented Spain’s position as a key destination for highprofile international productions. Since Netflix’s entry into Spain in 2015, the influx of capital has expanded the range and scale of projects, boosting local production capabilities and infrastructure. This investment has increased the visibility of Spanish content globally and introduced advanced production techniques, elevating industry standards.

ICEX-Invest in Spain, under the brand Shooting in Spain, promotes investment and attracts international productions. The initiative provides comprehensive support, including industry knowledge, institutional backing and connections to investors. The Spain Audiovisual Bureau, a key part of the Spain AVHub project, acts as a central contact point, offering free resources and swift responses to inquiries, further strengthening Spain’s position as a global hub for audiovisual productions

House of the Dragon Kaos

Zorro

a globally recognised studio with a significant European presence. We envision a larger studio than we have today, doubling or even tripling in size. And we also see a greater balance between Spanish- and English-language content,” the exec says.

In fact, 40% of Secuoya Studios’ projects currrently in development are in English – a strategy that Berdonés believes will drive the company’s growth in both the UK and US.

“We’re seeking English-language projects that we can coproduce with the US. We want to develop them here, but with creators in LA or New York, where we are already working. Another key strategy will be establishing a strong presence in the UK in the coming months, one way or another.”

The first step in this expansion was restructuring its operation through a system of creative pods, where each executive producer leads a multidisciplinary team that also includes a head of development and a fiction coordinator.

The first three pods announced will be led by executive producers Mónica Aguirre, Juan Carballo, an Argentinian screenwriter and producer, and Sergio Cánovas, a Spanish showrunner and director.

Aguirre is the founder of Black Sheep Productions, a Miami-based production company that signed a firstlook deal with Game of Thrones executive producer Vince Gerardis in 2022. Carballo has worked across Argentina, Mexico, Spain and the US, developing, writing and producing series for Amazon MGM Studios, Netflix, Star+, HBO and Paramount+. Cánovas, who started working with Secuoya on the series Matices, coproduced by his company Stellarmedia, will lead projects with international potential.

“We want to increase the relevance of our content at an international and global level,” said Brendan Fitzgerald, a former Sony Pictures Television executive who joined Secuoya earlier this year as CEO, referencing these partnerships.

“Normally, you would need time to achieve this, but our bosses haven’t given us that time. So we had to come up with a way to increase quality without reducing volume,”

Left: Upcoming psychological thriller Matices (Shades). Below: La encrucijada is Secuoya’s adaptation of Turkish drama Brave & Beautiful

Fitzgerald joked during the recent Iberseries & Platino Industria event in Madrid when explaining the pod structure.

Fitzgerald also emphasised that the idea is to be “language-agnostic” in terms of production, with an initial move into English. “We’re going to open another pod in the UK, and we’re looking at other countries in Europe. But Spain, Latin America and the UK will be our three pillars,” he explained.

The company has already revealed its first Englishlanguage project to be produced in the UK, an as-yetuntitled action-packed psychological thriller set in London and overseen by Cánovas.

These deals add to the partnerships Secuoya Studios already had in place with companies including US-based Rubicon Global, led by former Starz CEO Chris Albrecht and Ugly Betty producer Jorge Granier; Colombian giant Caracol, to develop, finance and produce premium series; and with Cuban-American actor William Levy, to produce the series Arcadia and film Bajo un volcán alongside streaming platform ViX.

While Cánovas’ series will mark the group’s expansion into the UK, its US strategy focuses on creating content with Latino or Hispanic characters or themes, but produced in English.

“I believe there is a great opportunity to reach the US Hispanic market with content produced in English,” said Sergio Pizzolante, Secuoya Studios’ president of commercial and distribution, who was also speaking at Iberseries & Platino Industria.

“These need to be universal stories with a Latino element authentically woven into the narrative. That’s the next phase, or at least those are the projects we’re pursuing.”

More broadly, Fitzgerald explained that the studios he leads are primarily focused on “commercial and highquality” content firmly in the mainstream.

“I don’t want to see anything dystopian or sad. We want to sell shows to platforms and networks – blue sky, thrillers, detective stories. Once we are selling four, five or six series a year, then we can start looking at things a bit more on the sidelines,” he said.

“

I don’t want to see anything dystopian or sad. We want to sell shows to pla orms and networks – blue sky, thrillers, detective stories.

Brendan Fitzgerald Secuoya Studios

Speaking the right language

Atresmedia fiction chief Diego del Pozo says there are no longer any “red lines” when it comes to the types of content he is seeking for flagship channel Antena 3 and streamer Atresplayer.

The commercial Spanish broadcaster is open to international coproductions in Latin America and Europe for these platforms, as long as the product “makes sense” for Spanish audiences and the Spanish characters “are not at the service of those from the other country.”

Del Pozo expresses regret that many of the projects the organisation receives from other markets do not meet these criteria, and that certain territories are hardly making any pitches.

“We always like to say that the doors are open to explore any type of coproduction, with any Latin American partners where we share the language and it would make sense, but also with Europe,” he explains.

“But from the experiences we have had in the past, we have found the content generated has to make sense for our audience. For us to enter into a purely content coproduction, the viewer of Antena 3 or Atresplayer has to feel that it is a Spanish series, beyond the fact that some of the characters are foreign or that it is in different languages.”

A er moving into westerns, horror and sci-fi, Spain’s Atresmedia has defied the global industry downturn and is eager to join more coproductions that speak authentically to a Spanish audience. By Gonzalo Larrea

are all German, Italian or British and then suddenly there is a Spanish character who has two lines per episode. We need to find that balance so that, from a content point of view, it makes sense for both partners.”

While territories such as Latin America, the UK, Germany and Italy have yet to find a project that fits these characteristics, France has hardly made any proposals, he adds. “From Latin America, we meet with everyone and we receive projects, but from Europe we don’t even receive proposals from countries like France.”

International coproduction has so far not been one of Atresmedia’s priorities. Last year it produced 13 fiction series across its free-to-air TV channel Antena 3 and its Atresplayer platform, while it currently has 40 projects in different stages of development.

One of its first experiences was in 2015 with the science fiction series Refugiados (The Refugees), coproduced with UK public broadcaster the BBC. Set in Spain but shot in English, the project taught Atresmedia that content produced under this model must feel “very local” in order to work.

“And how do you do that? It’s not so much a linguistic requirement, but simply that the Spanish characters are not at the service of the characters from the other country; that the story we are telling is representative; that it reflects the concerns of the Spanish public and that we talk about conflicts that affect Spanish characters,” he explains.

“In other words, I don’t want a series that is set in some part of Spain in which the main characters

International coproduction activity,

“ I don’t want a series that is set in some part of Spain in which the main characters are all German, Italian or British and then suddenly there is a Spanish character who has two lines per episode. We need to find that balance.

Diego del Pozo

Atresmedia

however, continues to be on a “case-by-case” basis within the company, which is more focused on the production of its own content.

Beyond Refugiados, in recent years Atresmedia has partnered on projects such as the trilogy of La Novia Gitana (The Gypsy Bride) with Diagonal TV and Paramount, Veneno with HBO Max and the second season of Toy Boy with Netflix.

“These are high-budget projects, so we go to the market looking for partners to provide part of the financing to produce the series with all the high values that the stories deserve,” says Del Pozo.

With an average of more than one premiere per month between its different platforms, Atresmedia

worldwide that can boast it has

is one of the few companies worldwide that can boast it has not cut back on production and has no plans to do so.

In the company’s pipeline, says Del Pozo, there is also content in genres such as horror, with an as-yet unannounced project described as a supernatural thriller; science fiction, such as the upcoming (Pokeepsie Films); and westerns like de la Tierra Shadow of the Earth based on the book of the same name by Elvira Mínguez.

in genres such as horror, with an as-yet unannounced project

Santuario

La Sombra (The ),

but we’re going to see

“It’s a western set in the 19th century in Zamora, Spain. It’s not the typical American western, but we’re going to see characters in hats riding on horseback.

has adapted all the scripts

It’s a story of how evil is passed down from mother to son and how that affects the evolution of the family legacy. It’s a very character-driven story, with an incredible setting, and Elvira Mínguez herself has adapted all the scripts and is the director of the series,” he says.

Muerte

Other new releases from the company include two romantic comedies, (Death) by Dani de la Orden and A Qué Estás Esperando (What Are You Waiting For?

based on a novel by Megan Maxwell, as well as the adaptation of Italian series Mare The Sea Beyond), together with Beta Fiction Spain, and the reboot of its classic franchise Física o Química, entitled FoQ: The New Generation, with a new

“The idea is to bring the same spirit of the series, with the same playful and festive tone, to talk about the issues of young people today,” says Del Pozo of the latter show, the original version of which aired from 2008 to 2011.

of

As for what Atresmedia is seeking for the future, Del Pozo jokes that, with the exception of the Game spin-off House of the or series like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, he’s interested in everything.

variations, accepted by Talpa, such as a competition between two teams in each episode and a more conventional primetime look.

“We have no red lines, we are open to exploring any kind of format, narrative or structure. We want different, innovative projects, but it is essential for us that they are local and that they somehow reflect some of the problems of Spanish society,” he says. “In terms of genres, as we now have a streaming platform as well as a channel, there is nothing we can say we are not interested in. Internally, we have many things in development, such as biopic, young-adult, comedies, stories based on real events and period drama.

to Spanish society,” he says.

formats we are not currently looking for are daily [drama] series, because, fortunately, this year, after 11 years, we have changed the daily series that was Amar es Para Siempre [Love is Forever] for Sueños de Libertad [Dreams of Liberty] and it has been the best premiere of a Spanish fiction series in the last two years. It is the most watched series on Spanish TV, even ahead of any fiction in primetime.”

These changes caught the attention of Atresmedia, which ultimately acquired the format, taking advantage of the new mechanics introduced.

“The quiz genre is closely tied to Atresmedia’s DNA, but it’s true the first Dutch version felt a bit too short, almost like a daytime show,” the executive says.

In unscripted, Atresmedia’s director of entertainment, Carmen Ferreiro, is keen to emphasise the importance of being “agile and flexible” with formats and allowing them to “evolve” through their different versions.

“Every time a format is adapted, it improves. It doesn’t matter which country adapts it. The more minds that work on an idea, the more they contribute,” Ferreiro says.

“We felt it was more well-rounded with two teams competing, and in our adaptation, we played with lighting to match Antena 3’s tone.”

channel, development, of

The exec cites the example of The Quiz With Balls, an original Talpa format launched last year in the Netherlands and acquired by Atresmedia in April. The show premiered during the summer of 2023 on Dutch channel SBS6 with a summer-themed concept and a single team competing across multiple episodes.

“The only type of

According to Ferreiro, this format did not align with what Atresmedia was looking for, so it was initially dismissed. However, when the format was acquired by Fox in the US, local producers introduced several

The Spanish version, which is filmed at the production hub in the Netherlands, also introduced its own variations, including a comedian as the host, a celebrity version and team competitions by profession, for example, police versus firefighters.

Talpa and Atresmedia began collaborating last year on the format The Floor and have since worked on three formats together. In addition to The Quiz With Balls, the broadcaster will adapt Talpa’s The Jump on its main channel, Antena 3.

Just as contestants in the latter format must make a leap of faith after deciding on the correct answer to a question, it’s clear Atresmedia’s scripted and unscripted departments are similarly willing to trust in their own creative instincts.

Carmen Ferreiro

Left: Western La Sombra de la Tierra is set in 19th century Spain. Below: Atresmedia acquired Talpa’s The Quiz With Balls after some changes to the format

Atresmedia partnered with HBO Max on Veneno, a biography of the transgender icon Fuori ( its young cast.

Thrones Dragon

Santuario

Rakuten racks up

Rakuten TV, the Barcelona-based European streaming platform that combines TVoD, AVoD and FAST channels, is looking to commission original reality and entertainment formats.

The Japanese-owned outfit is also in the market for branded content partnerships and inspirational sports-skewing factual content.

Available in 43 countries with a potential reach of 140 million households, Rakuten TV earlier this year appointed Daniel Gilgado as its European head of original content. The exec says the streamer is doubling down on the reality/entertainment space after the success of the first two seasons of adventure reality show Discovering Canary Islands

A coproduction with Atlantia Media and Initiative/Mediabrands Content Studio, the show features social media influencers competing to discover the Canary Islands’ mythical ninth island, San Borondón. Rakuten’s first venture into original reality programming, the show proved a hit on the service, leading to the acquisition of Shine Iberia’s reality series HairStyle: The Talent Show

Now the platform is looking to commission more new reality formats. “Reality was an experiment for us and something new, but we’ve discovered that this genre really engages our audiences,” Gilgado says. “We’re boosting our FAST channels and our viewers are looking for other types of content, because they’re used to seeing only documentaries on Rakuten TV. Our audiences value entertainment content, so we want to commission more in this space.”

Rakuten TV is, however, still ordering new factual content to complement its extensive catalogue of features and series. Examples of popular original sports-skewing titles include Bojan: Behind the Smile, about the mental health struggles of former Barcelona football star Bojan Krkić, and Champions, which follows women footballers.

Karate-Do: The Path of Sandra Sanchez, meanwhile, is produced by Doble Once Filmmakers in association with OEOE Marketing. It tells the story of Sanchez, a martial arts master from Spain who beat the odds to win Olympic, World and European titles in kata, which are detailed sequences of karate moves.

Rakuten is also looking out for original factual projects outside the sports space, such as the film Rumeysa: Walking Tall, made by GWR Studios, about the world’s tallest woman, and technology series Fast Forward, produced by Vice Media.

Gilgado says: “Our sports-skewing content is focused on great stories with big social impact, often looking at women’s sports and under-represented groups. Sports titles reflect the values of Rakuten: innovation, empowerment and optimism. We would also like to keep exploring di erent topics with our documentaries beyond sport.”

Discovering Canary Islands was made with the support of Turismo de Canaries, while the Italian version of Hairstyle: The Talent Show was produced in association with haircare company Alfaparf Milano.

With branded content becoming an increasingly popular way to finance projects in a challenging economic environment, Rakuten TV is open to more commercial partnerships.

“Thanks to our AVoD o ering, we have an organic relationship with advertisers,” says Gilgado.

“Many media agencies now understand that it’s super important for brands to become involved in big stories through TV content, because 30-second adverts are not enough to show the values of a particular brand. This is what we are trying to build

New reality formats and branded content partnerships are a priority for Rakuten TV’s original content team, while the streamer also needs true crime and lifestyle shows for its 100-plus FAST channels.

By Neil Batey

Adventure reality series Discovering Canary Islands is on its second season

now and, thanks to the success of Discovering Canary Islands, more agencies are approaching Rakuten to explore the possibility of projects for their clients.”

Rakuten TV makes around eight original titles per year for an audience demographic that is roughly 55% male and 45% female. When partnering with third-party producers, Rakuten always takes the role of executive producer for each title on which it collaborates.

“We prefer to get involved at the early stages of a project,” says Gilgado. “We feel more comfortable that way because we like to be aware of every single step in a title’s development. It’s not about controlling the content, because we never interfere with the creative process. Sometimes, however, we jump into the middle of a project if it’s something that is super interesting to us.

“That happened, for example, on Hairstyle: The Talent Show. Producer Shine Iberia was looking for a window and it was a win-win for us both. In that case, we acquired the licence to the US version for our UK market, plus the Spanish and Italian versions, where we shared a window with Discovery.”

Gilgado explains that Rakuten TV, the digital streaming arm of Japanese e-commerce and fintech giant Rakuten, must be convinced that each original guarantees a strong return on investment. “As a Japanese company, we need to recoup every single euro that we invest in all our titles,” he says. “We have a solid model for financing our titles. All our original titles are included in Rakuten TV’s AVoD service, but we also have the capability to distribute titles in Europe as second windows.

“We can also work with broadcasters outside of Europe in first-window deals. In Spain, there are big tax incentives for producing content and we usually try to apply as much of that as we can. Those tax incentives also make Rakuten TV an attractive coproduction option for prodcos outside of Spain who want to work with us.”

Meanwhile, Rakuten TV continues to boost its considerable presence in the FAST space, where it now operates well over 100 channels across Europe. In March, the streamer agreed a new deal with A+E Networks EMEA as part of a move to launch new FAST channels in the UK, Spain, Italy and France. Rakuten TV launched two new FAST channels in the UK, covering a range of factual entertainment.

Deal Masters focuses on wheeler dealers who use their knowledge and haggling prowess to turn a tidy profit, with series featured on the channel including Hardcore Pawn and Flipping Bangers. History Hunters, meanwhile, o ers history series from UK historians and celebrities such as Tony Robinson, Professor Alice Roberts, Dan Jones and Al Murray.

Rakuten has also launched the RTV Biography Channel in the UK, focusing on the real-life stories of people from history, sports and movies.

In Spain, Gipsy Kings is a new channel focusing

on a reality show that follows the day-to-day lives of four gypsy dynasties: the Salazars, the Fernández Navarro, the Jiménez and the Maya. The show comes from Mediaset.

Rakuten has rolled out sci-fi channel RTV Fantascienza in Italy, featuring blockbuster movies from Hollywood and leading European studios. In France, FAST channels from Satisfaction Group (Les Anges, Les Secrets de Nos Regions, Qui Veut Gagner de Millions?, Les Z’amours and Le Meilleur d’Arthur) have launched, o ering factual entertainment, lifestyle, travel, reality and quizshows.

“We welcome these partnerships as they support Rakuten TV’s continuous growth in providing locally relevant content to our audiences,” says Rakuten TV chief content o cer Marcos Milanez. “Rakuten TV also remains committed to invest in its portfolio of owned and operated [O&O] channels.”

In June, Rakuten further beefed up its FAST portfolio with the launch of Red Bull TV and Vevo

“ We prefer to get involved at the early stages of a project. We

feel more comfortable that way because we like to be aware of every single step in a title’s development.

Daniel Gilgado

Rakuten TV

channels in France, Italy, the UK and Germany. The company has debuted Red Bull TV, Vevo Pop and Vevo Latino in Spain; Red Bull TV, Vevo Pop and Vevo Hip-Hop & R&B in the UK; Red Bull TV, Vevo Pop, Vevo 90’s and 00’s in Italy; and Red Bull TV, Vevo Hip-Hop & R&B and Vevo Pop in France. Germany saw the launch of Red Bull TV, Vevo Pop and Vevo Schlager Pop.

“Movies are a huge vertical for us for both our branded FAST channels and AVoD o ering,” says Milanez. “We’ve broadened the scope of our O&O channels into other genres such as scripted crime and true crime in markets such as France, Germany and Italy. So that’s one area where we’re looking to continue acquiring more content. We also launched a reality channel in the UK last year, plus a lifestyle and entertainment channel in Spain.”

In terms of the genres Rakuten is not currently stocking up on for its FAST channels, Milanez says anything violent or scary is o the menu. “Horror does really well for us on transactional VoD, but it’s a much tougher sell on AVoD and FAST because of the age ratings that come with that kind of content. Because of the scheduling limitations, it’s much tougher to monetise, so I’d rather avoid it and focus on other subgenres.”

Bojan: Behind the Smile (above) looks at the mental health struggles of footballer Bojan Krkić, while Rumesya: Walking Tall (below) centres on the world’s tallest woman

Adding to Plus+

SMovistar Plus+ has set its sights on new unscripted areas as it sets out to surprise viewers and find a non-fiction equivalent to its hit drama The Messiah.

panish pay TV platform Movistar Plus+ is preparing to expand its content strategy into new non-fiction sub-genres such as docureality and factual.

Jorge Ortiz de Landázuri, the company’s head of non-fiction, who leads the platform’s documentary and music productions, explains: “Our major production lines, such as music, biography, events and true crime, are going to continue to be covered. We have projects already underway in all of those genres.

“But right now we have a lot of projects that don’t have to do with those genres. In the end, what it’s all about is surprising the viewer. So they find stories they didn’t expect, which are the ones that end up being the most successful. [Netflix drama] Baby Reindeer proves it.”

Movistar Plus+ has some good examples from

By Pina Mezzera

known Spanish personalities such as Lola Flores (Lola), David Bisbal (Bisbal), Miguel Bosé (Bosé Reborn), Joaquín Sabina (Sintiéndolo Mucho) and José María García (Súper García).

In true crime, the platform airs the series Luz en la Oscuridad from Catalan journalist Carles Porta, a leader in the genre in Spain and with whom Movistar Plus+ has a long-term contract to make true crime programmes.

at, but while always keeping our own identity and editorial brand,” he says.

With this in mind, the executive reveals he is looking for more factual content or even docusoaps.

The characters, of course, must be “very Movistar.”

While it is true En esta Ambición Desmedida, a documentary series about a tour by Spanish rapper C Tangana, has the components of a docusoap, he says: “I’m talking about going a step further,” adding that the door is open to ‘stranger-thanfiction’ series.

“We’re working with a lot of creators, both filmmakers and documentary makers, who bring us personal stories with a unique vision that at first may seem di cult. In the end, it’s getting the genre to open up and finding those little gems.”

its own catalogue when it comes to surprising viewers, as it did last year in fiction with sevenparter The Messiah, from Madrid’s Suma Content.

“For these surprises to exist you have to look for them. If you stick to very closed genres, they will not appear. So, of course, we are looking for stories that go beyond that,” he says.

So far, Movistar Plus+’s non-fiction output has included biographical series about well-

As part of Movistar Plus+’s push into new genres, Ortiz de Landázuri is considering subjects closer to current a airs. “So far we have not gotten into areas that have to do with more social or political current a airs, and right now we are working on ideas of that type with contemporary topics – not so much hot current a airs, but recent issues,” he explains.

so much hot current a airs, but recent forgotten that we need a certain perspective,” he explains.

After recent changes in its entertainment output, which since last year has also been under the control of Domingo Corral as director of fiction and entertainment, Movistar Plus+ has changed direction by abandoning daily live talkshows in favour of documentaries.

“What we are looking for with such stories is that they remain topical, that they are not forgotten because of events within a few months, and for that we need a certain perspective,” he explains.

The exec also highlights docureality, a genre in which the platform has previously shown little interest but one that has found success on other streamers, with local hits including Pombo (Amazon Prime Video). “We have not gone too far into docureality and it is something we are looking

Soy Georgina (Netflix) and Pombo too

Rapper docuseries En esta Ambición Desmedida (left) and Joaquín Sabina profile Sintiéndolo Mucho

The most high-profile example of this was the departure after six years on air of talkshow La Resistencia, which in September began airing on RTVE following the public broadcaster’s controversial acquisition of the show.

“There is an intention to grow, but what happens is that this growth has less to do with volume than with the ambition of each project,” explains Ortiz de Landázuri, who expects the number of nonfiction titles released by the platform to increase steadily.

Jorge Ortiz de Landázuri

Spanish producer Glow is wrestling with the impact of AI and gaming pla orms such as Roblox on the animation business as it seeks partners for workplace comedy All Good. By

Nico Franks

Located in Almendralejo, in the Extremadura region of south-west Spain, The Glow Animation Studio was set up by independent film production company Glow in 2016 to work on its first feature, the award-winning Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles

While its initial goal was to make sure it had the artistic and technical resources it needed for its own projects, it has since begun offering its services to other animation productions from all over the world.

Some of its recent work has been on international productions from countries such as Spain, Ireland, Mexico, the US and Germany.

Specialising in the production and postproduction stages, its productions have premiered at prestigious animation festivals including Annecy, while it attended Cartoon Forum in the French city of Toulouse in September to pitch young adult-skewing series All Good (10x22’).

The company is led by CEO and founder Jose María Fernández de Vega, who believes the international animation industry faces a host of challenges at the moment.

“Each company must face them by taking into account the combination of the local (funding, talent and ideas) and the global (audiences, trends and concepts). Finding the balance between the two is the most difficult thing now for many animation companies,” says de Vega.

Development Slate Glow

create fascinating because it’s an opportunity to introduce new generations to content creation in an easy and fun way,” says de Vega.

“At Glow, we try to create original concepts that come from our traditions, our culture and our way of being. We use art, ideas and stories that surround us that are not told by anyone else and that at the same time are reflected in the whole world, as we achieved with

Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles.” Released in 2018, the film told the story of how, with any boss at an animation studio

left penniless after his second film, filmmaker Luis Buñuel struggled to finance his next movie back in 1930s Spain and received help from a sculptor. The themes of the film will likely resonate with any boss at an animation studio almost 100 years later.

One technological development

intelligence (AI) tools, which have

posing both opportunities and challenges to animation companies is the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, which have the potential to irreversibly alter the role of the animator.

“For us, AI is a tool that we are not

yet clear about the extent to which it can facilitate mechanical tasks. That is our interest: to save time in order to be able to dedicate more time to art and creation.

We don’t believe that AI will replace the animator in any case, we simply believe that it will facilitate processes, and that’s why we are investigating its insertion into our workflow,” says de Vega.

The company has developed animated office comedy All Good having been introduced to the project by creators Diego Porral and Joaquín Garralda. Regional television network Canal Extremadura TV is already on board and Glow was at Cartoon Forum seeking broadcast, streaming and distribution partners.

Meanwhile, the audiences that many of Glow’s productions target are watching content in places separate to the traditional TV ecosystem, such as gaming platform Roblox. Does de Vega believe online social platforms like these could be used to launch new animated IP?

“We’re absolutely fascinated with Roblox and its reach within the youth. We find this combination of entertainment and the ability to

productions target are watching content world

The show follows the exploits of a proud yet naive ‘unclogger,’ whose mundane life is obstructed daily by eccentric colleagues, a charismatic intern and a family crisis.

Overwhelmed by personality clashes, awkward situations and existential angst, he embarks on a hilarious journey of self-discovery. As he navigates absurd office chaos with humour and unexpected wisdom, a big question looms: can he sort his life out before plunging into total burnout?

For de Vega, it fits the company’s philosophy of working on humorous local stories that have the potential to be enjoyed all over the world.

e try to create original concepts that come from our traditions, our culture and our way of being. We use art, ideas and stories that surround us that are not told by anyone else and that at the same time are reflected in the whole world.

Jose María Fernández

de Vega

Young-adult animated series All Good