It's All About Series
Discover how the main on-demand video subscription services are backing the production of series in Spanish.
El cine (2023)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija
We are watching more series than ever before
On-demand content platforms allow us to watch a series wherever, however, and whenever we want. The most popular video-on-demand subscription services are Amazon, Disney+, HBO, and Netflix.
Series (2023)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija
The Spanish-speaking world is a unique geolinguistic region
This means that it makes up a single space when it comes to distributing content through these platforms. It includes Spain, Latin America, the US Hispanic market, and Spanish-speaking users anywhere around the globe.
CinéfilosFundación Antonio de Nebrija
Decades of shared audiovisual history have consolidated common product ties between Spain and the Americas. For example, telenovelas are an element of Hispanic cultural identification that has created common references in Latin America and Spain.
Series (2023)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija
A favorable algorithm
Netflix follows a transnational television model, because its service and content broadcast strategy goes beyond national borders. Its users have access to content from various countries, styles, and languages.
Its catalogs are built on the tastes and preferences of users without regard to geography, language, and culture, but according to the content they choose.
Series (2023)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija
Thanks to this model, Spanish-language series are widely broadcast within the platform and achieve international fame, as in the case of Money Heist (2017-2021).
Series (2023)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija
Investment in production in Spanish
Netflix has produced series in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Spain, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay. Specifically, in 2021, 88 series were produced in Spanish on this platform. It is the second most used language in which series are produced.
Spanish at the top
Productions from Spain and Mexico are the most popular on the platforms. On Netflix, eight Spanish-language series are among the 10 most popular series in Spanish-speaking countries, and in other countries at least three series achieve this ranking.
Series (2023)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija
Spanish is a bridge to the international market
The investment of foreign platforms in series in Spanish is an opportunity that is transforming the production of TV fiction, as well as promoting the spread of culture and talent throughout the world.
Spanish-language production is a success story that crosses borders thanks to competitive production prices, the favorable geolocation of some of the countries, and the ability of creators to tell universal stories that engage all audiences.
This article was written guided by the investigations made by the Observatorio Nebrija del Español:
- Spanish on Netflix: common language and circulation in the global audiovisual industry.
- Cultural identity in Spanish-language audiovisual production: Drivers of international success of fiction series.
Content curation: Aina Arbona
Graphic Editor: Carmen García
Consulting and review: Lola Pons (Universidad de Sevilla)
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