Watchdog: investment in Spanish series leapt by 40% in 2017

Investment in series in Spain’s official languages by audiovisual service provider grew by 40% in 2017, according to regulator the CNMC.

The watchdog reported that investment in content is Spanish and other European languages not official in Spain accounted for 77% of the country’s total investment in content.

Reporting on the way broadcasters and service provider met their obligations to finance European content in 2017, the CNMC said that audiovisual service providers invested a total of €410.19 million in European works in that year, up 52.41% on the previous year.

While investment in audiovisual content as whole far exceeded the required minimum of €133 million, investment in European movie production in 2017 amounted to €84 million, not far from the required minimum of €74 million.

Atresmedia, Mediaset, RTVE and Telefónica were responsible for 90% of the investment.

The CNMC said that while the total investment had increased, the proportion allocated to movie production had decreased as money was increasingly poured into series.