TV and streaming content material and manufacturing tendencies have been firmly within the highlight on the ninth version of the Conecta Fiction & Leisure trade gathering in Cuenca, Spain this week, which wrapped up on Thursday.
Executives from the likes of Warner Bros. Discovery, the Walt Disney Co., Gaumont Tv, Spain’s Atresmedia Group, manufacturing big Banijay, NBCUniversal Telemundo, and Movistar Plus+ and plenty of extra touted their authentic programming and plans. They mentioned the state of the trade and its outlook.
The latter opened the door for U.S. President Donald Trump to additionally solid his lengthy shadow over sunny and picturesque Cuenca no less than a few occasions, regardless that no audio system or panelists talked about his title.
One of many first classes of Conecta 2025 on Tuesday set the stage in that regard. It was entitled “Focus Canada: D.E.I. Range, Fairness, and Inclusion.” Moderator Marina Mathieu, govt director of Coalition M.E.D.I.A. (Media for Fairness, Range, Inclusion, and Accessibility), began by mentioning that the panel was not put collectively “to bother a sure president” however as a result of her group strongly believed within the intrinsic worth of DEI initiatives. This was a reference to Trump’s crackdown on range and inclusion insurance policies within the U.S.
Later that day, Gaumont Tv president and producer Isabelle Degeorges not directly referenced Trump when lauding France’s guidelines requiring U.S. and international streamers to speculate a minimal of 20 % of their internet French income in European works. “If we don’t personal the IP, we lose our id,” she mentioned. “If we don’t personal the IP, my feeling is that the whole lot belongs to the U.S., and on the finish, it’s their id.”
Degeorges emphasised, although, that the French trade can’t relaxation on its laurels. “This regulation is essential for us, and we’ll all the time combat for this… particularly with this new administration within the U.S., as a result of they don’t care.” She concluded: “We all know that our decrees, our French decrees, aren’t acceptable for them.”
Trump and the way his potential MAGA insurance policies may have an effect on worldwide markets additionally got here up throughout a session on manufacturing incentives. Through the Q&A portion, one individual requested if threatened U.S. tariffs on movies made overseas to assist increase manufacturing in California and different elements of the U.S. “We actually don’t know what the president of the U.S. goes to implement,” emphasised Ana Marqués, govt director of the Portugal Movie Fee, in response, highlighting a scarcity of particular plans up to now. So, Portugal is specializing in its technique, together with “range, hopefully, cultural change, and co-production,” she concluded. “That is our means of working.”
Victor Lamadrid, normal secretary of the Spain Movie Fee, shared comparable ideas. “We’re in contact with American manufacturing firms, after all, attempting to see what occurs,” he instructed the Conecta viewers. “Typically, measures they wish to [launch to] shield, I feel, are worse for manufacturing firms from america. We’re additionally attempting to open new markets, new territories,” one thing that his fee’s staff all the time has an eye fixed on.
Concluded Lamadrid about potential Trump movie measures: “However we don’t assume it is going to be as dangerous as the whole lot appeared to be when he introduced it. We have now nothing actual in the mean time.”
In one of many ultimate classes of Conecta 2025 on Thursday, Sergio Mendoza, vp, scripted growth at NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, additionally talked about the present political scenario and division within the U.S. with out going into particulars. “We dwell in a particular political and social second,” he mentioned. “That opens up alternatives to inform sure sorts of tales.”