Mediterráneo Mediaset España Group (Spain) is a key referent in the global marketplace operating different strategic business lines that cover the development, production and distribution of content, as well as the distribution of its international TV channels. Prensario interviews Ana Bustamante, general director, who summarize the Group’s goals and what’s next.
As one of Spain leading media groups, the conglomerate has doubled its incomes compared to the pre-pandemic years. ‘We are extremely happy with the results obtained. On formats, we’ve brought to the international success Adivina quien coproduced with Fremantle, adapted in FOX (USA) and UK, as well as Escenas de Matrimonio on air on M6 (France) for +13 years and celebrating its tenth anniversary on Alpha TV (Greece)’, said Bustamante.
On the ready-made filed, the executive underlined that the unit has grown ‘considerably’ compared to 2020: ‘Our international partners are an extension of the Mediaset España family and that is how we treat them. We target new clients with special focus on Asia, where we have closed agreements for Discovery China, Hong Kong and the Philippines, as is the case of our documentary series on the golden boys of Spanish basketball La Familia or our factual Mónica y el Sexo that was our first deal on SBS (Australia)’, she added.
About MIPTV, the main news is The Hood (two seasons of 8x’70), a new series done in collaboration with Alea Media, starring Jose Coronado. Broadcast on Telecinco, it has been the best premiere of a Spanish series of the season. In addition, the miniseries Blowing Kisses (2x’80) and Vivir Sin Permiso, which are available after being available on Disney+/Star and Netflix, respectively.
‘We continue to produce new seasons of Madres, amor y vida (S4), Disappeared (S1: 13x’70; S2: 8x’70; S3: 8x’70) sold in +40 countries (LatAm, MENA, CEE); the comedies La que se avecina and El Pueblo (S4 each). We also incorporated documentaries such as the true crime Wanted: El Sapo (4x’70), the first production of this genre that we have in our catalogue about Jon Imanol Sapieha, alias “Sapo”, described as one of the best thieves in Europe and the miniseries and the film Curro Romero: The Legacy (5x’70), directed by Curro Sánchez Varela; and It’s Flamenco (two seasons of 10x’70)’, commented Bustamante.
Both contents, produced by Womack, were presented at the Seville Festival with great critical and public success. The broadcast of the series had very good data in the broadcast of Canal Sur, co-producer of the series. ‘Another title in production is a four-part docu-series based on the life of Angel Nieto and the docureality about the Spanish influencer Dulceida. We are bringing images to MIPTV for the first time’, completed.
Mediterráneo Mediaset España Group’s fiction has broadcast windows in Latin America on Amazon, Claro Video or DirecTV, and the company has recently closed its first agreement with Telemundo for the broadcast of Madres, Amor y Vida, Los Relojes del Diablo or La Verdad on Peacock. On formats, Señoras del (h)AMPA was sold to Warner Bros., adding the adaptation of Vivir sin Permiso in Italy or El Chiringuito de Pepe on TV2 (Hungary). Alpha TV has also opted for Cambiame format after broadcasting the finished shows on the Greek channel Beyond.
Production is another big business. Bustamante empathized: ‘Our model is of coexistence. Each partner has needs and we work hand in hand with them to make it the most beneficial model for both parties. For example, Disney+/Star’s Blowing Kisses was previewed in Europe, Latin American and Africa and later open on our local channels. Or Amazon Prime Video’s El Principito es Omar Montes produced in collaboration with Unicorn Content and Beta España’.
She continued: ‘We have the experience of our affiliated production companies, which have extensive experience, not only in the production of content for FTA TV, but also for platforms. Over the last few months, they have developed exclusive content for HBO such as the documentary Dolores Vázquez produced by Unicorn Content, or the series Todo lo otros, produced by Mandarina Producciones’.
Bustamante considers that the industry is going through an ‘truly exceptional’ moment: ‘The changes we anticipated have been precipitated by the pandemic and the growth of OTT. International content is accessible simply with a click. When it comes to being able to follow market trends, we have more access to information, which makes it easier for us to know what type of content works best in one region or another’.
‘With a wide catalogue, both of fiction and entertainment, tested in the Spanish territory with the transmission on Mediaset España channels, we are sure our programming will continue traveling in international markets’, concluded the executive.
