Shifting landscapes in the post-TV era: Impact of the streaming wave on Spanish screenwriters

Abstract

Over-the-top (OTT) media services such as Netflix, HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video have been rolled out in Spain with full force since 2015. Local media groups such as Atresmedia and Movistar+ have also emerged with their own video-on-demand services and content brands to compete against these multinational giants. Consequently, the demand for original scripted content has soared, involving ever larger numbers of individual creators and production companies. Traditionally, the relationships between writers-producers and TV networks in Spain have been hierarchical, but the new players appear to have introduced different approaches in creative processes, yielding more autonomy to screenwriters or, when applicable, to writers-producers or showrunners. In this article we set out to illustrate the perceptions of Spanish TV screenwriters regarding the new practices and difficulties that they face in the still emerging environment brought about by digital platforms. To do so, a survey has been conducted through ALMA, the film and TV writers’ guild of Spain. The results of this survey reveal significant, sometimes contradictory changes that suggest the advent of a still shifting landscape.