Atresmedia
José Antonio Salso, head of acquisitions and sales, Atresmedia TV
One of the key Spanish television players both in broadcast TV and streaming, Atresmedia rides the wave of non-English content production in a country that has taught the international market a few lessons on how to attract investments and become a convenient and valuable audiovisual hub.
The company’s head of acquisitions and sales, José Antonio Salso, mentions a few samples of Spanish stories that are paving their way on international screens, especially fiction, and states that the company will “continue with its strategy of launching new content during the early stages of production” in order to boost pre-sales.
Atresmedia TV catalogue is and will continue to be highly varied, encompassing everything from dramas, as the awarded Nights in Tefia (Las noches de Tefía),comedies, entertainment programs, documentaries… and even new formats infused with mystery, role-playing games, and strategy, such as Rage (Rabia).
In which way are these titles attractive for the international market?
Our stories are renowned for their strength, relevance and high quality. All our titles bear the Series Atresmedia seal, which is a guarantee of both national and international success. This is what makes our titles attractive worldwide. In addition, this is a highly positive period for us due to the growth of Spanish fiction throughout international streaming platforms and pay and free TV channels.
Could you specify the company’s most relevant content agreements recently?
Our recent accomplishments include the premiere of drama The Age of Anger (La edad de la ira) in Italy, France and Belgium on their public TV channels. Also, true crime Don’t Tell Anyone (No se lo digas a nadie) was launched in September in Latin America thanks to our agreement with HBO Lat Am, whereas Mother (Heridas), our adaptation of the internationally successful Japanese format Mother, was acquired and launched on Amazon’s Prime Video in the US, Latin America, Brazil, Portugal, and Spain. Finally, Amazon Spain has also acquired The Rookie (El novato) and Almost the Last One (La penúltima y me voy), a factual show and a biopic documentary respectively, hosted by one of the most popular Spanish football players: Joaquín.
Which are your more strategic territories in terms of distribution?
At Atresmedia TV, we are dedicated to creating universal stories, which allows our titles to travel all around the world. Also, our catalogue boasts an exceptional diversity of genres. As for regarding territories, we can say both Europe and Latin America, along with the United States, are among our most strategic markets.
What is the ideal windowing cycle of an Atresmedia original production?
Atresmedia TV will continue with its strategy of announcing new content during the early stages of production. This allows us to boost pre-sales and ensure that the stories reach different territories in tighter deadlines. A specific example of this strategy is the deal we closed with the M6 Group, through which the first episode of our series UPA Next premiered simultaneously in Spain and France.
