Rifan Muazin
The 10th anniversary of Conecta—the premier boutique gathering for the international television industry—recently concluded at the Meliá Calviá Beach Hotel in Mallorca. Held from May 25–28, the event served as a high-level convergence point for 400 industry leaders, ranging from top-tier executives at HBO Max, Prime Video, and YouTube to representatives from major public broadcasters like RAI, RTVE, France TV, and the Balearic Islands’ own IB3. Against a backdrop of turquoise Mediterranean waters, the event underscored a pivotal shift in the global audiovisual landscape: the move toward leaner, more efficient, and hyper-connected industry models.
The Evolution of a Boutique Summit
The milestone edition of Conecta introduced an "all-in-one" boutique model, specifically designed to strip away the sprawl of larger trade shows in favor of high-impact networking and substantive dialogue.
"Our new, more compact and all-in-one format is focused on facilitating connections and maximizing the value of time spent together, which we believe is far more efficient for everyone," said Conecta Magaluf-Mallorca director Géraldine Gonard during the closing session. This sentiment resonated throughout the four-day event, where the proximity of the venue’s seaside vistas provided a calm, focused environment for debating the volatile state of global content production.
Chronology of Trends: From Data Analytics to Creative Renaissance
The conference agenda was meticulously curated to reflect the current pulse of the international TV business, tracking everything from the rise of "Neo-Evergreens" to the growing intersection of tourism and regional production.
May 25–26: The Data-Driven Reality
The conference opened with a deep dive into streamer metrics led by Jonathan Broughton of Plum Research. The data revealed a seismic shift in how audiences interact with content. While the industry once focused on "first-run" hits like Squid Game, the reality is that the "long tail" now dictates the market. According to Broughton, 90% of views and 75% of all titles consumed on streaming platforms come from library content—or "Neo-Evergreens"—such as Star Trek or Dark.
This period also saw heated discussions surrounding Artificial Intelligence. Unlike standard industry panels, the AI sessions were framed as debates between practitioners and wary critics. The discourse was sharpened by the news that Spanish authorities had just moved to enforce the EU’s landmark AI Act, while high-profile creators like director Jorge Gutiérrez began publicly distancing themselves from Amazon’s generative AI animation initiatives, signaling a growing "fandom backlash" that is expected to dominate the conversation at upcoming festivals like Annecy.
May 27: Pitching, Comedy, and Microdramas
The middle of the event highlighted a surge in local and regional creative output. The Pitch sessions showcased a variety of Mallorcan-produced titles, reinforcing the island’s emergence as a significant filming hub. A standout was the RTVE Play Award winner Mallorca Things to Do, produced by the Palma-based Bastera Films.
The day also solidified the "Comedy Surge." Over half of the Pitch prizes were awarded to comedies, reflecting a broader trend where lighter, character-driven stories are being used as a gateway to explore complex contemporary issues. From Spain’s rural sitcom Coworkinaos to international co-productions like Rookies (Colombia/Argentina), the message was clear: audiences are hungry for humor that feels authentic and culturally specific.
The day closed with a high-profile screening of the Movistar Plus original Many People Need to Die. The series, which tackles Millennial angst and generational frustration, marks a watershed moment for YouTube-podcast comedian Victoria Martín, who has rapidly emerged as a talent to track.
The Rise of Microdrama and Global Consumption
Perhaps the most heavily attended session was "Focus on Microdrama: The Game Is On." Maria Rua Aguete of Omdia provided staggering insights into this new medium, noting that Brazil and Mexico have become global testing grounds for microdrama. With 24 million and 20 million monthly active users respectively, these markets are proving that short-form, mobile-first content is not just a trend—it is a fundamental shift in entertainment consumption, especially as 75% of global video viewing now occurs on smartphones.
Supporting Data: Spain’s Growing Footprint
Spain’s prominence in the global market cannot be overstated. According to the Cannes Marché du Film’s Focus report, Spain produced 426 feature films in 2025, nearly double the volume of France. This growth is largely attributed to aggressive regional support schemes and the global success of Spanish content. Plum Research data corroborates this, showing that hours watched of Spanish content on Netflix in its top 40 markets surged 73% between 2018 and the present day.
However, challenges remain. Despite this success, Spanish public broadcasters, particularly RTVE, are struggling with the cost of producing original content, leading to a reliance on importing formats. As Caroline Servy of The Wit noted, Spain is currently the second-largest importer of formats in the world, trailing only the U.S.
Tourism as a Catalyst for Audiovisual Growth
A unique aspect of Conecta Magaluf-Mallorca is the integration of local tourism strategy into the film industry. The event was held in association with the Calvià Town Council and funded in part by the Balearic Islands’ Sustainable Tourism Tax (ITS).
"Investing ITS funding in Conecta perfectly exemplifies our tourist strategy, supporting quality and deseasonalized tourism which generates year-round returns at nil territory consumption cost," explained Jaume Bauzá, the Balearic Islands’ Councillor for Tourism, Culture and Sports. This strategy is already yielding results; the world premiere of the noir thriller Mallorca Confidential showcased how the island’s landscape can serve as a premium character in global crime drama, effectively marketing the destination to an international audience.
Industry Implications and Future Outlook
As the summit drew to a close, a final panel of journalists and analysts offered a candid assessment of the last decade and the hurdles ahead.
The Myth of U.S. Dominance
The consensus among experts, including Omdia’s Maria Rua Aguete, was that the narrative of U.S. dominance is fading. "The shocking thing now is that actually there is less U.S. dominance of shows of original content, but more local and regional content going around in the world," Aguete noted. While the U.S. remains a powerhouse, the "cross-pollination" of storytelling styles—blending Anglo plot-driven narratives with Latin American character-driven emotion—is the new reality of the global market.
The Fragility of State-Backed Media
Despite the success of regional content, there is significant concern regarding the future of public broadcasters. In 2024, public entities accounted for 56% of all European fiction production, compared to just 14% for global streamers. Experts warned that while public broadcasters are vital for "event" television—such as sports and Eurovision—they remain vulnerable to fiscal pressures. Irene Jiménez of Audiovisual 451 poignantly noted that while the industry has evolved, many Spanish companies still face the same structural and fiscal challenges they did a decade ago.
The Limits of Data
Perhaps the most grounding takeaway of the conference came from Plum Research’s Jonathan Broughton. Despite having access to 45 billion data points on global viewing habits, he cautioned against the over-reliance on algorithms for creative decision-making. "A machine can’t yet produce something which is authentic and credible and creative," he stated.
As the industry looks toward the next decade, the lessons from Conecta Magaluf-Mallorca are clear: while technology and data provide the framework for distribution and monetization, the future of the medium remains rooted in the "Neo-Evergreen" potential of local stories, the resilience of public broadcasting, and the irreplaceable spark of human creativity. The boutique model of Conecta, by facilitating these high-level, human-centric conversations, has firmly established itself as a necessary compass for navigating the shifting tides of the global screen industry.
Nana
