The proliferation of players in the European audiovisual industry contributes to balance and enrich a sector in which Spain has an increasingly relevant position. This is one of the main conclusions of the conference “The contribution of on-demand services to the Spanish audiovisual sector”, organised by the Spanish Digital Economy Association (Adigital). The aim of the forum was to analyse the local and European audiovisual ecosystem and explore the opportunities that video on demand services promote in Spain in economic, cultural and country branding terms.
The economic report of the Video on demand service companies was presented, with the idea to show:
- The opportunity for our culture and for the creation of our country’s image.
- The opportunity for our economy: we are the fifth country in the world in terms of production.
- The business model of content and streaming platforms: an X-ray of the audiovisual sector.
All of this at a key moment to turn Spain into the main audiovisual hub in Europe by boosting audiovisual production and national economic activity, taking advantage of the benefits of digitalisation for creators and attracting investment.
The presentation of the report was accompanied by two round tables that helped to put the results of the report into context.
It opened with the round table: “The Spanish Audiovisual Hub: objectives and progress”.
Julio Poyo-Guerrero, Deputy Director of Sectoral Policies of the General Secretariat of Economic Affairs and G20 of the Presidency of the Government, contextualised: “The audiovisual sector, which, we trust, will be even closer to 1% of GDP, has an unstoppable growth perspective: its talent, its productivity, its boost to the digital economy together with the enhancement of connectivity place it as one of the most promising industries”.
Cristina Morales, Deputy Director General for the Organisation of Audiovisual Communication Services at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, emphasised some of the priorities of the Plan to Boost the Audiovisual Sector: “Our levels of commitment to the sector are many. Among other priorities, we want to support the entire value chain (we are investing to promote localised hubs in Spain that provide all the infrastructure that agents may need); and we are also striving (through constant dialogue with professionals) to reinforce the legal and regulatory security of the sector and that all actors have clarity on how to operate in our country”. He highlighted Spain’s growth in the audiovisual sector and the fact that it is the leading promoter in the EU. At the moment, with the creation of the Hub, it is being supported with internalisation, calls for subsidies, support for digitisation and R+D. Local Audiovisual Hub offices have been created and there is a web portal as a centralised information point.
Fabia Buenaventura, head of the Audiovisual Department of ICEX Spain Export and Investment: “From ICEX, we have doubled our activity in the internationalisation of Spanish audiovisual companies and content and the attraction of filming and investment in our country. The sector’s attention towards our country is unstoppable. The interest in producing with our companies; implementing filming in our territory; and even with the interest of foreign companies in establishing themselves in our territory is growing all the time”. A bureau has been created as a one-stop shop for the entire audiovisual sector, where they manage: visas, permits, and whether or not a social security registration is necessary. They respond to queries about tax incentives. The new amendment makes Spain a European audiovisual power. Foreigners are accompanied. Where they think of Spain not only as a film set, but as a large audiovisual industry with a fabric that is growing day by day. In the pandemic, it was the only law that was modified, on the tax incentive.
To explore in greater depth the trends in the European audiovisual market, the international consultancy Oliver & Ohlbaum (O&O) has offered a comparative view between Spain and other European countries.
Here is the report:
The report highlights Spain’s projection compared to other European powers, its exponential growth in this area.
Between 2019 and 2021, Spain led investment in content, growing by an average of 16.4% (more than Germany, Italy and France). Within this framework, the entry of on-demand services (SVOD) contributed decisively with a growth rate of 70.2%.
During the round table “The contribution of on-demand services to the Spanish audiovisual sector”, the main representatives of some of the most relevant content and video on demand services in Spain (Amazon Originals, FILMIN, HBO Max, Movistar Plus+ , Netflix and Disney+) addressed their path and perspectives of activity in the local market.
Participants included: –
- Verónica Fernández, Director of Fiction Content, Netflix Spain and Portugal
- Simon Amselem, Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company Spain and Portugal
- José Antonio de Luna, co-founder and Business Director of Filmin
- Domingo Corral, Director of Original Production Movistar Plus
- Salvat, Commissioning Editor Original Production of HBO Max in Spain
- María José Rodríguez, Director of Amazon Originals in Spain
