Spanish television series between 2015 and 2021: production, broadcasters and hegemonic genres and subgenres

Abstract

In Spain, the arrival of international television operators on demand contributed to the formation of a new television system, starting in 2015. These large platforms were followed by national operators, content repositories and thematic payment channels. They all created a different production and distribution system. This research focus in the general characteristics of the production of Spanish serial fiction, in this period. It is interested in variables such as the volume of production, the channels and supports through which it is broadcast, the dominant seriality, or the relationship of forces between the producing companies. It takes also in account the narrative and thematic characteristics of the productions, which it classifies by genre and subgenre. For this, an own census has been carried out, which includes the Spanish serial fictions broadcast since 2015 to 2021 (n = 288). The registry by years of emission has generated a database with 458 records with which to quantify the proposed indicators. These productions have been organized by genre and subgenre, using inductive and a posteriori typologies. The results describe a complex panorama of production and distribution in which Spanish television fiction has made stronger in terms of business volume, but also diversity, originality and quality. That it has been affected by international standards, it is perceived the relevance of topics and narratives linked to the local (costumbrismo, interest in Spanish history, current sociopolitical issues, emerging concerns) that gives Spanish production an own idiosyncrasy. This stage is presented as the germ of the golden moment that domestic fiction production is experiencing today