This report analyses the availability and prominence of Spanish audiovisual works, at the beginning of 2023, in the following five US subscription video-on-demand services (SVOD) offered in Spain: Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, Disney+ and Apple TV+. In a context of acute and growing inter-company competition with new obligations that directly affect the offer of works by the major players, the report outlines how many Spanish works are there in the catalogues, the main characteristics of these works and the prominence given to them in each service.
The main finding is that the five services include Spanish works in their respective catalogues, although the quantity and characteristics of these contents vary considerably. Altogether they offer 1,641 Spanish titles, including international co-productions with the participation of Spanish companies and 187 works that are available in two or more catalogues. These works are mostly focused on films and fiction in Spanish and the catalogue with the highest proportion of Spanish works is that of Prime Video.
Regarding the prominence of Spanish works, there is much room for improvement in the mechanisms used to highlight their presence. Netflix is the only service that has sections devoted to Spanish films and series, which can be accessed via the top navigation bar of the interface (menu), as well as the carousels or recommendation rows on its homepage. The rest of the services display mixed results in terms of the existence and location of similar sections.
The report was carried out by members of the research group Audiovisual Diversity of Carlos III University of Madrid, with the support of the University Institute of Spanish Cinema of the same institution.
Full report available here.
Spanish version here.
Mª Trinidad García Leiva & Eleonora Maria Mazzoli (2023) en Heritiana Ranaivoson, Sally Broughton Micova, Tim Raats (edits.), European Audiovisual Policy in Transition. Routledge, ISBN 9781032184487.
