Netflix Launches Its First European Production Hub in Madrid

By John Hopewell

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Netflix is launching its first European production hub in Madrid, targeting Spanish-language production and potentially drama series, which have been a priority and large source of success for the U.S. streaming giant.

The new facility will be located at the Ciudad de la Tele (TV City), a new 22,000-square-meter campus in Tres Cantos, 20 minutes’ drive north of Madrid. It will cater to what described in a statement Tuesday as its “growing” slate of Spanish-language original content over the coming years, which will cover “new and existing titles produced by Netflix, as well as series and films made by production partners for Netflix.”

The campus is being developed and managed by Spain’s Grupo Secuoya in a multi-year partnership. Grupo Secuoya will provide facility management and other services to Netflix, serving as the exclusive production services partner.

Netflix will take occupancy of three 1,200-square-meter sound stages from September. It also has the option to occupy additional space as construction completes, it stated.

The new Netflix production hub underscores its deepening investment in Spain, with more than 13,000 cast, crew and extras working on 20 Netflix original productions across the country this year, it said. Upcoming titles include Season 3 of “Las Chicas del Cable” on Sept. 7 and “Élite,” a young-adult drama. Titles in production include Isabel Coixet’s new original film, “Elisa & Marcela,” and “The Alcásser Murders,” an original documentary series.

Earlier this month, Netflix announced a first-look deal on TV dramas from Series Atresmedia, the Spanish broadcaster’s TV fiction brand. Titles include “Fariña” and “La Catedral del Mar,” two of Atresmedia’s 2018 smash hits.

In its first-quarter results, the U.S. streaming company said that “La Casa de Papel,” created by Spain’s Alex Pina, was its most-watched foreign-language series ever.

“Spain has a rich heritage of innovative, immersive content creation and we are excited to strengthen our investment in the cultural heartland of Madrid,” Erik Barmack, vice president of international originals at Netflix, said, adding: “From San Sebastián to Santiago de Chile and Toronto to Tokyo, Spanish-language content is savored by Netflix members across the world.”

Barmack said that the new European production hub would “create new opportunities for Spain’s incredible creative talent, as well as demonstrating our commitment to the production of original content throughout Europe.”

Grupo Sequoia president Raúl Berdonés said that “the decision to create a production hub in Madrid is proof of Spain’s leadership in the audiovisual industry, as well as the depth of its talent pool.”

The Spanish government welcomed Netflix’s new production hub. “We are sure this project will contribute strongly to positioning Spain as a competitive location for the global entertainment industry. In that respect, it will be entitled to our full support,” said María Peña, CEO of ICEX, the Spanish government agency for trade and investment promotion.