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

The Television Academy, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, ha centrado su último desayuno en el papel del entretenimiento como reflejo y motor social, reflexionando en el proceso sobre la “necesidad de innovar” y los desafíos actuales del sector, junto a una sólida selección de profesionales de la industria.

El encuentro fue moderado por la académica y presentadora Marta Flich, while Maria Casado, presidenta de la Academia, fue la encargada de dar la bienvenida institucional en nombre de la Junta Directiva. Participaron en el desayuno Tinet Rubira, general director of Gestmusic; Macarena Rey, CEO of Shine Iberia; Juanra Gonzalo, general director of Quartz; Agustí Esteve, director general ejecutivo de 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, remarcó la “conversación social espectacular” que ha generado, incluso con repercusión internacional: “Ha llegado hasta la NBA o Netflix en EE. UU.”. Gonzalo destacó la importancia del talento digital y de las redes sociales en la viralización de estos formatos, aunque lamentó que “las cadenas pidan formatos que ya hayan triunfado en otros países”.

been puso el foco en la comedia como “termómetro democrático”, capaz de reflejar hasta qué punto una sociedad está preparada para hablar de todo. Subrayó la importancia del trabajo de guion en los programas de humor, donde “cada capa tiene una intención”. Aplaudió la libertad y citó 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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