Simon Hunter
GLOBAL streaming giant Netflix on Tuesday unveiled its expanded studios in Madrid, which are now the biggest that the company counts on in the entire European Union.
The studios are located in the Ciudad de la Tele (Television City) in the municipality of Tres Cantos, which is located to the northeast of the Spanish capital. The total space is more than 22,000m2, which includes not just sets but also production offices, make-up and hair areas and costumes.
Present at the opening were figures from the audiovisual industry, as well as Spain’s Culture and Sports Minister Miquel Iceta.
Netflix opened its first Spanish studio in 2019, and since then has filmed hit shows in the country such as Money Heist, Élite and Criminal.
As well as sets, the studios are also home to what’s been described as the ‘first remote editing system in Spain’, which will allow professionals to work on movies and shows from any part of Spain and Europe, and also features a post-production service that’s hosted via cloud computing.
‘The innovation of these installations will allow professionals to focus on the creative excellence of their projects, so that lovers of entertainment can continue to enjoy the best stories,’ said María Ferreras, the global head of partnership and business development at Netflix, during the inauguration.
The Socialist Party government led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced in 2021 that it wanted to promote Spain as an audiovisual hub, in a bid to attract investment in the sector. Culture Minister Iceta said at the opening on Tuesday that this was a ‘sweet moment’ for the sector in Spain and thanked Netflix for putting the country in the ‘first division in the world’.
The inauguration of the new studio comes just days after Netflix has launched a new service in Spain that is funded by advertising, and is available to users at a lower cost compared to the regular commercial-free packages.
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