Staff Reporter
The Spanish entertainment industry is going through a boom period right now, with the €1.6 billion AVS Hub Plan announced in 2021 designed to make the country the audio-visual hub of Europe. Looking at recent trends in the global entertainment industry, can we see what types of Spanish productions are likely to be more successful?
Casino Games with a Spanish Twist
Online casino games have transformed the home entertainment industry in recent years, by offering the chance to play gambling games from home. The first games of this type were straightforward versions of classics such as roulette and blackjack, but we’re increasingly seeing themed casino games now, which opens up the possibility of adding a Spanish twist to them.
Slots and live casino games played in a studio with a human presenter offer potential for a Spanish theme. For example, a slot like Torrente Again, based on the popular series of Santiago Segura films, is a current favorite. When players see the latest casino offers such as free spins, they could be associated with Spanish-themed slot titles. The live table games are also diversifying thanks to the addition of game shows and different language versions, so it’s easy to imagine a Spanish game based on the country’s culture being popular.
The Rise of Spanish Streaming Series and Movies
La Casa de Papel was translated as Money Heist and in 2018 it became the most-watched non-English Netflix series. This success was arguably the trigger for the move towards making Spain an entertainment hub. Earlier in 2023, seven of the top 20 non-English movies were from Spain, putting the country above the likes of South Korea and France in the list of nations that produce most Netflix hits in languages other than English.
As of the time of writing, the top non-English series on Netflix list is led by the Korean Squid Game with over two billion hours of viewing time. However, three seasons of Money Heist make this list while the other Spanish productions sit further down the list. The list of recently released Spanish movies on the streaming service includes Nowhere, Burning Body, and Rosa Peral’s Tapes based on a fictional adaption of a true crime story from Barcelona.
Upcoming movies from Spain include Me He Hecho Viral starring Blanca Suárez and Nicolás Furtado. The Rye Horn (original title O Corno) is based on the world of shellfish farming in Galicia and stars Janet Novás as a woman who has to flee across the border to Portugal.
What Can We Expect Next?
The latest signs suggest that Spanish entertainment has gained a firm foothold across the planet. We should remember that the huge number of Spanish speakers across the globe is an important benefit when marketing anything in this language. Diego Ávalos of Netflix also pointed out that there is a strong market for local content in Spain, while Erik Barmack mentioned at the time of Money Heist’s launch that the easy translation to Romance languages opens up a total market of around a billion people.
Expect to see more Spanish content make waves in global markets, with the recent investment plans sure to help different types of entertainment from here reach foreign markets including the UK.
