Entertainment as a “social showcase”, under debate at the Television Academy

The Television Academy, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, has focused its last breakfast on the role of entertainment as a reflection and social driver, reflecting in the process on the “need to innovate” and the current challenges of the sector, together with a solid selection of industry professionals.

The meeting was moderated by the academic and presenter Marta Flich, while Maria Casado, president of the Academy, was in charge of giving the institutional welcome on behalf of the Board of Directors. They participated in breakfast Tinet Rubira, general director of Gestmusic; Macarena Rey, CEO of Shine Iberia; Juanra Gonzalo, general director of Quartz; Agustin Esteve, executive general director of The Terrace (The Mediapro Studio), y Mario Briongos, CEO of Fremantle Spain.

Tinet Rubira He opened the debate by stating that “for something to be international, it must first succeed in its own territory,” and gave as an example the case of Your face sounds familiar to me, successfully sold to 45 countries as diverse as China. He attributed its success to “universal ingredients: admiration, nostalgia, a sense of humor,” and defined it as an “escapist product.” About authenticity in realities, pointed out that “it is very difficult to pretend when you live 24 hours,” and defended the process of generating a “infatuation"between the public and the contestants. Finally, he reflected on the schedules of the prime time Spanish, proposing to advance the news to start the large formats earlier.

Rey highlighted the transversality of cuisine as the key to the success of MasterChef, pointing to the social union that is generated “around a table.” He emphasized that the program combines clear mechanics, a casting emotional, a powerful jury and a very active digital community. He also stressed the “importance of the sense of humor as an added value” of the Spanish edition. Rey defended the social responsibility of large production companies and mentioned the documentary 100% Unique, renewed in 28 countries, and projects such as Porn Generation o Click Generation, which bravely tackle complex topics. As a challenge for the future, he pointed to the need to generate exportable intellectual property: “It is difficult for Spanish television to take risks, and the platforms only want tested formats.”

Juanra Gonzalo reviewed the evolution of Survivors since 2003, highlighting the move to Honduras as a strategy to give greater prominence to the natural environment and the contestants. He appreciated the use of humor in casting as a way to connect with the public, and highlighted the technical effort that a program of that magnitude requires. About Temptation Island, highlighted the “spectacular social conversation” that it has generated, even with international repercussion: “It has reached the NBA or Netflix in the US.” Gonzalo highlighted the importance of digital and social media talent in the viralization of these formats, although he regretted that "the networks ask for formats that have already succeeded in other countries."

been He focused on comedy as a “democratic thermometer”, capable of reflecting the extent to which a society is prepared to talk about everything. He stressed the importance of script work in comedy programs, where “each layer has an intention.” He applauded freedom and cited The Resistance as an example of how a pay television format can generate a “social phenomenon” through the networks. He also defended the value of live broadcasting as a driver of energy and connection with the audience, and closed his speech by remembering that “the audiovisual industry generates employment and wealth” and that networks must “trust the sense of smell” of the production companies to create entertainment connected to society and loaded with positive values.

Briongos highlighted the role of Got Talent as a “social showcase” to make visible realities such as gender violence or rare diseases, highlighting the capacity of entertainment to go beyond the economic. He called for greater investment in the development of new formats and defended the need to bet on talent, patience and risk as axes to generate new ideas: “It takes a sense of smell, investment and patience for good ideas to see the light.”

The meeting concluded with a consensus among the participants on the responsibility of the sector in generate content that not only entertains, but also connect with society, reflect their concerns and commit to innovation from an authentic and transformative perspective.

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