Speaking at the San Sebastian Film Festival on Sunday, Óscar López, Spain’s Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Administration, announced that the government will maintain its robust support for the national audiovisual industry through the Spain Crece Fund.
Addressing the conference “The New Script of the Audiovisual Industry,” López emphasized that successful public policy should remain in place indefinitely. He characterized the current era as a golden age for Spanish cinema and television, citing a series of record-breaking industry metrics.
“We had the talent, the ideas and the locations. What was missing was political will and a significant injection of capital,” López said. He pointed to the Spain Audiovisual Hub Plan as a pivotal institutional commitment, describing it as an unprecedented economic transformation effort. The initiative has since mobilized €1.6 billion in investment.
The minister highlighted that Spain has become the largest production market in the European Union, with audiovisual production growing by 31% in 2025. Spanish content now dominates regional viewing figures, accounting for nine of the eleven most-watched series in Europe. Additionally, sector employment has more than doubled since 2020, rising from 30,900 to over 64,000 workers.
López noted that the industry would soon benefit from €450 million in investments mobilized by SETT, the Ministry’s sovereign venture capital fund, targeting companies such as Lazona, Good Films, and Aurora Media.
During the festival’s first panel, Good Film Studios founder Miriam Segal praised the country’s infrastructure and the government’s dedication. She revealed that the support has empowered independent producers to offer pay-or-play deals to actors for the first time. José Carlos Garcia of Ánima Kitchen also thanked SETT for enabling the company’s expansion and plans to produce three high-end animated films over the next five years.
Panel discussions featuring representatives from Spain, Greece, and Denmark explored strategies for maintaining cultural diversity while competing globally. Speakers agreed that there is no single European model, with Carla Redondo of Spain’s Ministry of Digital Transformation describing this variety as a key strength. The dialogue also covered linear television’s evolution into a broader ecosystem and the need for regulatory frameworks that keep pace with digital platforms.
Earlier data from the Olsberg SPI study presented by the Spain Film Commission estimated direct production expenditure between €20 billion and €18 billion in gross value added from 2020 to 2025, further underscoring the sector’s economic impact.
Is this sustainable if governments change? I hope these funds aren’t just a temporary boom.
Great to see political will finally matching our creative talent. The numbers speak for themselves!