16 June/July 2023 Spanish TV Revival (Continued from Cover) Studios, in addition to RTVE, the state broadcaster. The country has also attracted international companies that have set up local offices or local divisions, like Banijay (U.K.), Fremantle (Germany), Federation (France), Mediaset and Mondo TV (both from Italy). With this renewed dynamism came some challenges, like a series of executive musical chairs, with people moving from company to company, as well as increased competition that spilled over into the equally revived trade show and festival sector (see separate story). “We are not going to present anything at Conecta Fiction this year”, said Belén Frías, head of Communications at The Mediapro Studio, adding: “So this time we prefer not to participate in [this] article.” Recently, Frías took the job that had previously been held by Lorena Molloy, who became Marketing manager at Telefonica’s Movistar. Frías was speaking on behalf of Marta Ezpeleta, who joined Mediapro a few years ago as head of Distribution after a career at Disney España. Mediapro is currently controlled by Chinese equity firm Orient Hontai Capital. Similarly, Berta Orozco recently joined Spain’s Mediacrest as head of International Sales and Co-Productions. She previously worked at Paramount España. Earlier, Miguel Garcia Sánchez had moved from Mediapro to Atresmedia as Sales director. And from outside Spain, Secuoya hired former Fox Studios executive Jose Luis Gascue as EVP, Sales, Worldwide Distribution. In terms of market presence, RTVE doesn’t participate at Conecta Fiction because it runs a competing Showcase that is held at the same time. Secuoya Studios doesn’t either because it runs its own Iberseries market together with Platino Industria, described as an organization of the Ibero-American audiovisual, tourism, and education sectors that brings together more than 300 producers and 700 professionals in search of common business projects. Laura Oliva, producer and Content director for Federation España, a subsidiary of France’s Federation Studios, explained the success of Spanish content: “It can be attributed to several factors”, she said. “On one hand, the rise of streaming platforms has allowed stories to reach a larger audience. Content now travels simultaneously across countries with fewer restrictions. Subscribers to a platform have access to content from around the world. On the other hand, the content is local and identifiable with a specific culture or geography. Despite this, it shares universality in themes and messages, making the product recognizable anywhere on the map.” She continued: “Language is another essential factor to the [success] of Spanish content. The Spanish language is the second most spoken [in the world]. According to the latest data, Spanish speakers total 580 million people. It is an advantage that other countries do not have. Viewers are increasingly choosing to watch content in their native language rather than in another language. Additionally, production values have also changed. Investment in this industry has significantly increased over the years, generating more consumer interest in Spanish content.” Mediacrest’s Berta Orozco explained, “The creatives have been able to give local content a global dimension that is very easily acceptable not only in countries with the same language, but also in areas that are apparently far from our language and culture.” Added Miguel García, Atresmedia TV’s Sales Director: “At Atresmedia we are committed to high-quality productions with international themes and original current stories. Moreover, Spanish professionals such as directors, producers, and actors are well-known and highly valued internationally.” Portocabo’s CEO Alfonso Blanco said: “We at Portocabo have always promoted a global approach to our productions, with a clear focus on international co-production to ensure that the content we create from here is present in many territories.” An indication of the newfound strength of Spanish TV production is the attitude towards the use of Castilian (Spain’s local dialect) for licensing content in LatAm, the largest and most natural market that, up until recently, would only accept neutral Spanish. “We do not dub our content for LatAm. All our productions in Latin America are broadcast in the original language”, said Portocabo’s Blanco. Atresmedia TV’s García further explained: “We usually leave our content in Castilian. Our series are well known in LatAm, and the Spanish actors and actresses are so famous in that region. It is our experience that Latin American audience prefers to hear the original voices.” Similarly, Mediacrest’s Orozco said: “Our projects with a Latin American focus or that we are developing in conjunction with production companies on the other side of the Atlantic try above all to respect the character, and we believe that it is also increasingly common to see characters with accents from Madrid, with others from Mexico, or Colombia, without any major problem for the viewer. The stories are now very ‘multi-accented’ if we can call it that, and it’s much more natural.” Federation’s Oliva was more accommodating: “Right now, we haven’t produced nor do we have any projects in which this situation has arisen”, she said. “If such a scenario were to occur, it would depend on the needs of the project and the agreement set with the networks or platforms.” (By Dom Serafini) Spanish Audiovisual Industry at its Best By Omar Méndez People in the audiovisual industry are paying attention to what is happening in Spain. The latest statistics from the European Audiovisual Observatory have it sixth in the ranking of European Union countries in terms of the number of titles produced, behind Germany, France, the U.K., Holland, and Italy. Still, the statistics may not fully convey the intensity of that market. Judging by its activity and initiatives, Spain is acting as a driving force for the European audiovisual industry. In May, Spain was the star of the Cannes Film Festival, as its Country of Honor. It was present with several of its official organizations, a pavilion with more than 48 audiovisual companies (under the umbrella of Audiovisual from Spain), and a total of 22 projects selected for different sections of the festival. The opportunity was ideal to show the newfound relevance of the Iberian nation, as well as the resources and talents it has to offer. In March 2021, the Spanish government launched the “Spain, Audiovisual Hub of Europe” Plan with the aim of turning the country into a leader in audiovisual production, a pole of attraction for international investment, and with an ecosystem suitable for exporting and competing in international markets. Over 1.6 billion euro was raised for the execution of the plan within the time frame 2021-2025, with a central objective: to increase audiovisual production in Spain by 30 percent by the end of the period. These public resources came from the General State Budget and funds from the European Union and the Creative Europe Program. Those 1.6 billion euro were allocated to the four central axes of the plan: 240 million euro were used to digitalize and internationalize the audiovisual sector and create a centralized information and contact point (the “Spain Audiovisual Hub Bureau” to provide information and assistance to potential investors, both foreign and domestic); 1.3 billion euro were allocated to facilitate access to financing on the one hand, and to provide tax incentives for audiovisual production in Spain on the other; 15 million euro were assigned to support the training that the companies themselves offer to their workers; and 18 million euro are being used to improve regulation and eliminate administrative barriers (such as visas and immigration issues) for those arriving with audiovisual projects. The plan has proven to be effective. The industry has emerged stronger. The new resources have enabled players to carry out their strategies, such as the promotional plans of the Spain Film Commission in order to position the country as one of the best and most varied filming destinations in the world. The Commission coordinates the efforts of a wide network of local film offices distributed throughout Spain. Tax incentives and the variety of locations have significantly increased foreign filming in the country in the last two years. Berta Orozco, head of International Sales and Co-Productions at Mediacrest
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