Chris ran through a summary of the major streaming platforms available in Spain, looking at their origins, content and pricing. She then demonstrated some of them, including the new SkyShowtime, (thanks Tom for lending login information!). These video streaming platforms are available on all Internet-connected devices including PCs, tablets, smartphones and Smart TVs. In many cases, you can have different profiles for different users and download content to watch offline.
This site lists where you can find specific streaming content: https://www.justwatch.com
Netflix
https://www.netflix.com/es-en/
The industry leader. This started as a DVD sales and rental company in 1997 and transitioned to streaming in 2007. It buys distribution rights from TV and film companies and started original programming in 2013. Netflix carries over 6700 titles of which 3500 are films. It is available worldwide aside from Mainland China, Syria, North Korea, and Russia – though content varies from country to country because of regional licensing. In January 2023 it was reported to have had over 230 million subscribers. It is the top transnational distributor with subtitles and dubbing in 30 languages the strategy being to create a demand for foreign content in your language.
Pricing has recently changed because people were sharing one subscription with family and friends who were not in the same household. There are now 4 subscription plans. The cheapest, basic plan with advertisements is €5.49 per month
https://help.netflix.com/en/node/24926
Netflix has had huge non-English-language hits:
e.g.
La Casa de Papel(Money Heist) – This series which aired on Spain’s Antena 3 was picked up by Netflix, edited to make episodes shorter (and suitable for the sensibilities of international audiences !), dubbed and subtitles then distributed worldwide. It was the most-watched Netflix series worldwide, and in the top 10 in 92 countries. Netflix then financed more seasons and licenced remakes e.g. in Korea. The premiere of its final season had global consumption of 189,920,000 hours, top of the most viewed non-English-speaking television content.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_Heist
Dix Pour cent (Call My Agent)– French TV comedy series (Dix pour cent). On France 2 then distributed worldwide on Netflix, except in Austria, Spain, Germany and Portugal. (In Spain – Movistar streaming bought the rights.) Remakes have been licensed in Canada, UK, Korea, Thailand, India, Germany, Turkey, Italy, the middle east, the Philippines, Malaysia and Poland.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_My_Agent!
The Squid Game – Korean This was the top-viewed program in 94 countries, attracting more than 142 million member households and amassing 1.65 billion viewing hours during its first four weeks from launch, surpassing Bridgerton for the title of the most-watched show.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squid_Game
All Quiet on the Western Front – This German language film based on the novel ran for two weeks in the cinema before streaming on Netflix. It was the BAFTA winner in 2023 and a leading nominated film in the 2023 Oscars.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Quiet_on_the_Western_Front_(2022_film)
Netflix is considered to have the best algorithms for managing and personalising subscribers’ viewing choices, keeping records of what you have watched, what you have liked, what other people who enjoyed what you enjoyed have also liked etc.
HBO Europe (HBO Max):
This grew out of the HomeBoxOffice US pay TV channel. It is a group of film channels and streaming television services in Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Moldova while VOD-only services with original programming is available in Spain, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Portugal. It premieres movies after 8 months from theatrical release from the following studios: Columbia Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros, and Universal Studios.
e.g. Harry Potter, Elvis
It was one of the largest producer companies for television in Central and Eastern Europe but is stopping some original foreign language content and recently sold 168 original episodes to SkyShowtime. The subscription price is €9.00 per month or €70 per year for 5 adult profiles, simultaneous streaming on three devices and downloads
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HBO_Europe
Apple TV
This was created by Apple in 2019. It contains original programming and was the first streaming service to win the Academy Award for Best Picture with CODA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CODA_(2021_film)
Subscription is €6.99 a month after a 7-day free trial – you get a longer period if you buy an Apple device. There is a family sharing feature but the content is considered not well classified, and there’s not much of it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_TV+
Amazon Prime Video
In Spain, it is included with Prime at €49.90 per year (fast delivery, special offers, music, photo storage, Twitch (gaming) etc). The content consists of original series and films produced by Amazon studios with MGM, from Universal or licensed to Amazon. It is now worldwide, apart from China etc. Some content is “free” – others to buy/rent. Some hits: Man in the High Castle, Fleabag
It is said to have a notoriously bad user interface …sometimes a free film turns up later as one you have to pay for! “Amazon Prime is a teeming streaming treasure trove of some of the most esoteric, wonderful and underseen cinema of the past 80 years, though good picks can feel nearly impossible to cull from the sometimes overwhelming glut of weirdly terrible titles buried in Prime’s nether regions. And that’s not to mention the counterintuitive, migraine-inducing browsing, or the service’s penchant for dropping a title unexpectedly only for it to reappear under a different link just as unexpectedly. Who can keep track of any of this stuff? “
https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/best-movies-amazon-prime/
Disney +
https://www.disneyplus.com/en-es
Content provided by Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic y Star, so you can watch all the Star wars movies in 4K HDR. Four simultaneous devices and seven profiles.
€8.99 a month (or pay €89.90 a year). Lots of kid’s stuff and worldwide coverage.
Rakuten TV
Owned by a Japanese technology company but based in Barcelona. It has Europe-wide coverage with some subtitling/dubbing. Content is from Warner, Disney, and Sony films and TV. There are various video channels including Sports and East Asian content (Rakuten Viki). There are loads of free TV channels, some niche (Padel TV) and some in English: Wired, Guardian, There’s lots of free content with ads or €6.99 a month subscription and 600,000 users in Spain, 400,000 UK.
You can register for a free subscription. This enables you to change some settings into English (This needs more investigation!)
SkyShowtime.
https://www.skyshowtime.com/es
This is the new kid on the block and has launched with an offer of “50% for life” for early subscribers. In Spain, this means a monthly fee of only €2.99
It is advertised to have 30 new theatrical releases a year from Universal and Paramount e.g. Top Gun: Maverick, and Jurassic World. It is launching in many European countries but not in the UK or other countries where Paramount+ or Comcast’s Peacock operate. It only has a small catalogue at present but plans to focus on local audiences. SkyShowtime will be available in 18 different languages, offering subtitles or dubbed content throughout Europe. It acquired 21 European HBO Max originals spanning 168 episodes of local original scripted shows including three series that hadn’t even launched.
Here are some articles about the new roll-out:
SkyShowtime to Complete European Streaming Rollout, Keep Showtime Brand Despite U.S. Shakeup
https://variety.com/2023/streaming/global/skyshowtime-europe-rollout-complete-streaming-1235521501/
SkyShowtime head explains why he believes there is “plenty of growth” in Europe’s streaming market
Here’s a list of its content
https://www.justwatch.com/no/provider/skyshowtime
Here’s some discussion about the new offering
https://www.reddit.com/r/SkyShowtime/
Some members had signed up for this, but no feedback yet.
Sports and other special interests
There are streaming services for all tastes e.g.
DAZN for sports: https://www.dazn.com/en-ES/home
National Theatre at Home: https://www.ntathome.com
Royal Opera House : https://www.roh.org.uk/stream#explore-all
Stream it Yourself
Those guys who sell you Magboxes and charge €20 a month for a streaming subscription are being busted by the Spanish police!
Major Pirate IPTV Service Raided, Four Arrests, 95 Resellers Face Investigation
However, there are many apps and sites for creating your own “Magbox” or movie streaming platform for free: e.g. Kodi https://kodi.tv
There are loads of streaming sites, some legit…some not! This site lists 720 including many free ones. https://streamingsites.com
One on the list streams feeds from all over the world – It has 1900+ channels with live broadcasts.
https://streamingsites.com/freeintertv/
Which streaming platforms will dominate? Chris will stick with Netflix because she’s a fan of foreign language films and series. What is the future for broadcast TV? What is the future for Cinema?
Time will tell!