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It will be solely Kelly Day’s task to find Amazon Prime Video its Squid Game. Well, Day and whomever she ultimately chooses as her vp of international originals.

Following last week’s departure of Jen Salke, Day has been named head of Prime Video’s International Originals teams. The announcement was shared with staff on Friday morning via a Mike Hopkins email; Hopkins is the head of Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios.

In the next phase of her career, Salke, formerly the president of Entertainment at NBC, will start a new production outfit with an overall first-look deal across both film and TV at Amazon Studios.

While Day actively seeks her lieutenant, her leadership team will be comprised of Javiera Balmaceda (head of international originals, Latin America, Canada & Australia), Tara Erer (head of international originals, Northern Europe), Nicole Morganti (head of international originals, Southern Europe), Nikhil Madhok (head of international originals,...

Exclusive: Kelly Day has landed an expanded international role at Prime Video following the exit of Jennifer Salke last week.

Deadline has seen an internal note sent from Prime Video boss Mike Hopkins in the past hour that confirms the well-liked Day will take on Amazon’s international originals, in addition to her current duties as VP of Prime Video International.

Previously, all originals ultimately sat under Salke, who left last week after seven years amid talk Amazon had moved in a different direction with the new-look James Bond on the horizon. James Farrell had directly overseen international originals, but he exited earlier this year, as we revealed at the time.

In addition to her new duties, Day will look to hire a new VP of International Originals to replace Farrell, and this exec will report into her.

The regional international originals chiefs – Javiera Balmaceda (Head of International Originals, Latin America,...

Exclusive: Nicole Wallace and Gabriel Guevara have set a record for Prime Video after Culpa Tuya (Your Fault) became its biggest international original launch ever.

The Spanish-language YA movie follows a romance between Noah (Wallace) and Nick (Guevara) and bowed on Prime in December. It was tipped to launch strongly after the success of Culpa Mía (My Fault), the first movie in Mercedes Ron’s Culpables trilogy, and has duly delivered.

Culpa Tuya rocketed to the number one spot for Prime Video in more than 170 countries, including Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Italy and Mexico, data from Amazon and seen by Deadline reveals. It has become the streamer’s top international original launch in any language. The likes of German TV series Maxton Hall – The World Between Us and fellow Spanish pic Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End, both of which came out last year, also put in strong showings.

This week, there have been big changes in the global entertainment business across streaming platforms and production companies, with big announcements coming from several countries.

“The Road Trip,” a new love comedy show from Paramount+, will start on December 26 in the UK, Canada, and Australia. People say the show will be funny and romantic, like old movies like “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” and “One Day.” The show is about a holiday romance that gets renewed and stars Emma Appleton, Laurie Davidson, and other great players.

Prime Video’s drama “Reina Roja” (Red Queen) is going forward with its second season in Spain. The new season is based on Juan Gómez-Jurado’s series of books. It follows detectives Antonia Scott and Jon Gutiérrez as they investigate a crime on Spain’s Costa del Sol with ties to the Russian mafia. Victoria Luengo and Hovik Keuchkerian will be back in the lead parts,...

‘The Road Trip’ Teaser On The Road At Paramount+

First-look images (above) and a teaser trailer have been released for The Road Trip, the Paramount+ rom-com launching on the streamer in the UK, Canada and Australia. December 26 has been pencilled in for a debut in those countries. The rom-com series about a camper van ride in Spain stars Emma Appleton, Laurie Davidson, David Jonsson, Isabella Laughland and Angus Imrie, and explores whether someone can be the right person but at the wrong time. The trailer reveals the love affair between Addie (Appleton) and Dylan (Davidson), which began two years before as a holiday romance before ending. Paramount claims the show has “all the fun of Planes, Trains and Automobiles and the romantic yearning of One Day.” Ryan O’Sullivan and Matilda Wnek wrote and created the show, with Miriam Brent, Eleanor Moran and Rory Aitken the executive producers. 42 is making The Road Trip...

Some will always disagree, but fantasy TV has undeniably gone south. That’s not saying much since fantasy has never been a strong genre, with a few notable exceptions.

Everyone is trying to replicate the success and appeal of Game of Thrones, and no one is asking themselves: What made Game of Thrones so good to begin with?

Even the world’s on-and-off-again richest man, Jeff Bezos, expressed a desire for an Amazon series that can replicate Game of Thrones’ success.

(HBO)

Instead, we got Wheel of Time and The Rings of Power. The former is mediocre in terms of entertainment and viewership (though improving incrementally), and the latter is simply a disgrace to modern television.

Netflix gave us the promising Witcher series but took a steaming dump on it partway through season 2. Westworld collapsed, and His Dark Materials is merely watchable and soon drawing to a permanent close.

The...

Spanish language content makes up a large share of global demand and has a history of transcending national borders both across the Spanish-speaking world and to other non-Spanish-speaking markets.

Looking at Spain as an origin market for high-value content, Spanish productions have seen a 22% global increase in availability on major streaming platforms between 2021 and 2023, reflecting rapid growth in new content and availability. Many of these titles have become high-performers globally, with over 200 titles in the Top 10% of demand on major global streamers. And it is not just Spanish-speaking markets driving this growth — there has been growing demand for shows and movies from Spain across regions of the world.

Parrot Analytics’ Content Valuation System can measure the contribution of individual titles to platforms’ subscriber acquisition and monthly retention. From here we can quantify at a macro level the amount of revenue that shows and movies from Spain have contributed to streaming platforms around the world.

Spain is having a moment.

If that sounds familiar, it might be because Spain’s been having a moment for the last few years. The bump came when the government launched the Spain Audiovisual Hub in 2021, offering strategic backing of the industry by pumping 1.6 billion euros ($1.73 billion) into it.

In the three years since, Spain has made progress on all four of the Hub’s main areas of focus: attracting foreign investments and shoots, improving financial and tax instruments, training talent — especially women — as well as regulatory reforms and the elimination of administrative barriers.

Now, Spain has been designated MIPCOM’s 2024 Country of Honor, and the Spanish government has launched an ambitious campaign called Spain, Where Talent Ignites aimed at boosting the country’s global recognition, reputation and marketability of Spanish productions, and growing business opportunities in an increasingly competitive landscape.

“The aim of the campaign is to associate the Spanish audiovisual industry with talent,...

J.A. Bayona’s Oscar-nominated “Society of the Snow,” Netflix series hit “Money Heist” and Prime Video’s “Red Queen” have spearheaded the success of Spanish content worldwide, per a new report unveiled at Mipcom by Spanish trade and investment body Icex and entertainment analytics org, Parrot Analytics.

Data they presented at the annual confab in Cannes revealed that Spain-originated content has generated an estimated $5.1 billion in global streaming revenue over the past four years.

For 2024, Spanish content is expected to deliver $1.4 billion in global revenue, reflecting a steep demand across key regions and confirming the country’s dominance in the non-English content market. Spain is Mipcom’s country of honor in this year’s edition.

“Society of the Snow,” in particular, was the #4 movie driving the most subscriber sign-ups for Netflix and ranked second among movies that contributed to the giant streamer’s subscriber renewals in Q1 2024, according to the report.

Spanish TV fiction continues to reinforce its position at the forefront of global TV, maintaining its edge, its impact on streaming services and overseas reach. Recognizing its merits, Mipcom celebrates Spain as its 2024 Country of Honor. That honor is based on market performance.

Through Oct. 6 this year, seven Spanish titles hit No. 1 on Netflix’s global non-English TV series charts for a total of 15 of 40 weeks, just ahead of South Korea (13). Japan (three) and France (two) trailed well behind.

“Local Spanish TV shows as diverse as ‘Berlin,’ ‘The Asunta Case’ and ‘Raising Voices’ led the way due to their authenticity and quality,” explains Verónica Fernández, Netflix director, series & films in Spain and Portugal.

At Prime Video, the Dopamine-Focus series “Red Queen” debuted Feb. 29 as No. 1 in more than 20 countries, including Spain.

That successful streaming performance extends to Spanish movies. J.A. Bayona’s 2023 multi-award winning “Society of the Snow” is...

Audiovisual from Spain, operated by Spanish governmental export and investment org Icex, hosted a short film screening, roundtable discussion and cocktail party at the San Sebastian Festival on Tuesday evening to promote its new screen industry promotion campaign: Spain, Where Talent Ignites.

At the city’s historic Tabakalera culture center, Icex CEO Elisa Carbonell explained, “This campaign aims to help build an image associated with the country related to transversality, diversity and the richness of its creativity. There is talent in all countries, but not everyone values it equally. Our commitment is to put talent at the top.”

The centerpiece of the evening’s festivities and the Where Talent Ignites campaign, which will host events at Mipcom, AFM and the Busan festival in the coming weeks, is a short musical fashion film titled “La causa del accidente que provocó el incendio,” which premiered in front of a packed house.

Directed...

María José Rodríguez, the veteran international TV executive who just exited her role in charge of original production at Amazon’s Prime Video in Spain, has been hired as managing director of Globomedia, the Spanish-based content producer run by The Mediapro Studio.

In the new role, Rodríguez, who worked in several capacities at Globomedia from 1997-2007, will be tasked with overseeing Globomedia’s content strategy and production operations, the Madrid-based company said Monday. She will report directly to Mediapro Studio CEO Laura Fernández Espeso and starts September 1.

“Globomedia is a pivotal brand for the studio, playing a crucial role in our overall strategy,” Espeso said. “With her extensive experience and impressive track record, María José brings invaluable expertise in both fiction and non-fiction content production. She is a respected and well-regarded professional within the industry. We are delighted to welcome her to our team, where she will lead such an important brand for us.

Prime Video is doubling down in Spain with a slate of new movies, drama series, docs and true-crime shows.

The streamer unveiled its latest slate at a Prime Video Presents event in Madrid last night, with thriller feature Zeta, scripted series Cochinas, a trio of unscripted shows and doc La Joia: Bad Gyal. Original series Reina Roja was confirmed for a third season, while live entertainment show Operación Triunfo has also landed a new season.

Ricardo Cabornero, Director at Prime Video in Spain and Portugal, claimed it had been a “record-breaking year” for the service in Iberia as he rolled out the titles.

Spy pic Zeta follows a Spanish Cni agent, Zeta, who is tasked with tracking down a former spy who participated in an undercover mission 35 years before, with a Colombian spook, Alfa, also trying to find him. The other five participants are murdered at the same time at different embassies around the world,...

Amazon hosted its annual Prime Video Presents event in Madrid this afternoon, where the streaming giant made a raft of announcements, including new theatrical features, true crime docuseries, returning drama programs and the next season of Spain’s uber-popular singing competition “Operación Triunfo.”

Ricardo Carbonero, director of Prime Video in Spain and Portugal, and Maria José Rodríguez, head of Amazon Studios’ Spanish Originals, were in attendance. Joining them were local stars Mario Casas (“Tres metros sobre el cielo”), Elena Anaya (“The Skin I Live In”), Malena Alterio (“Aquí no hay quien viva”), Najwa Nimri (“Money Heist”), Anna Castillo (“Nowhere”) and Maxi Iglesias (“Los artistas: primeros trazos”). Also in attendence were several of the streamer’s current filmakers, including Dani de la Torre (“La sombra de la ley”), Paula Ortiz (“La novia”), Hugo Stuven (“El desafio”) and Ginesta Guindal (“Élite”).

Prime Video Presents, Madrid

According to the streamer, the first half...

Tilda Swinton y Julianne Moore protagonizan el nuevo largometraje de Almodóvar. © El Deseo

“La Habitación de al Lado” es la nueva película de Pedro Almodóvar, que protagonizan Tilda Swinton (“El Asesino”) y Julianne Moore (“Secretos de un Escándalo”) junto a John Turturro (“Mr. & Mrs. Smith”) . El director firma su primer largometraje rodado íntegramente en inglés tras los cortometrajes “The Human Voice”, también protagonizado por Tilda Swinton, y “Strange Way of Life”, protagonizado por Ethan Hawke y Pedro Pascal, que tuvieron sus estrenos mundiales en los Festivales de Venecia y Cannes, respectivamente.

La historia de “La habitación de al Lado” es la de una madre muy imperfecta y una hija rencorosa separadas por un gran malentendido. En medio, otra mujer, Ingrid (Julianne Moore), amiga de la madre, es depositaria del dolor y la amargura de ambas. Martha, la madre (Tilda Swinton), es reportera de guerra e Ingrid novelista de autoficción.

La...

Warning: Spoilers for Red Queen season 1.

Antonia uncovers Sandra's plan to kill her using explosives in Red Queen, setting up a tense showdown. Ezequiel is revealed to be a duo - ex-police officer Nicholas Fajardo and his daughter Sandra. Mr. White emerges as the mysterious mastermind behind the murders and kidnappings in Red Queen season 1.

Amazon Prime Video's dark mystery-thriller Red Queen season 1 is one of the best Spanish-language TV shows featuring twists and turns until the end. Based on Juan Gomez-Jurads best-selling novel of the same name, Red Queen (Reina Roja in Spanish) follows Antonia Scott and her partner Jon Guiterrez as they rush against the clock to catch a ruthless kidnapper. Antonia, the most intelligent woman in the world with an Iq of 242, is part of an extremely exclusive group called Red Queen that investigates the most gruesome crimes the public never hears about.

When Alvaro Trueba,...

Spain’s film and TV industries are in their second wave as standout content providers for global streamers. Some of the country’s most intriguing titles will take the international stage this weekend at MipTV in Cannes.

Built on a foundation of hits such as “The Red Band Society,” “Grand Hotel,” “Velvet” and “Locked Up,” a new era of internationally renowned content creation in Spain kicked off in 2018 with Alex Pina’s blockbuster series “Money Heist,” picked up by Netflix.

Since then, Spain has enjoyed a place among the steadiest content suppliers for major players worldwide, taking advantage of its often character-driven dramas, high-quality creators and producers, and a language spoken by more than 600 million people around the globe.

Although the market is continuously evolving, local industry has adapted to different new business models, entering bigger and more ambitious productions, often via co-production. Spanish fiction’s global popularity continues to grow to accommodate audience appetites.

La serie española se ha convertido en un fenómeno global, alcanzando los primeros puestos en el ranking de Prime Video en más de 120 países. © Prime Video

Prime Video ha anunciado que habrá una segunda temporada de “Reina Roja” gracias a su gran éxito tanto a nivel nacional como internacional. La serie, protagonizada por Victoria Luengo y Hovik Keuchkerian, ha estado en el top 10 de los títulos más vistos en países como Estados Unidos, Reino Unido, Alemania, India, México y Australia desde su lanzamiento.

María José Rodríguez, Head of Spanish Originals de Prime Video, expresó su entusiasmo: «Estamos encantados de ver que “Reina Roja” ha cautivado al público español y se ha convertido en un éxito rotundo. Antonia y Jon han cautivado a la audiencia mundial de Prime Video con su química y habilidad para resolver crímenes». James Farrell, VP International Originals de Prime Video, también celebró el éxito de la serie: «Reina Roja nos demuestra,...

Lille — Creating a major and ambitious new player on the Spanish-language film-tv scene, Amaya Muruzábal – showrunner, screenwriter, and executive producer on Amazon MGM Studios’ just-out big hit “Red Queen” and creator and executive producer on milestone production “Hernán” – is launching her own film-tv production house, M Content.

M Content is founded with Argentinean Mariano Chihade – the independent producer behind Juan Pablo Kolojdziej’s Netflix Fito Paez bioseries “Love After Music,” working out of Buenos Aires’ Mandarina Contenidos.

The new venture will produce series and films, some large-scale – “for better or for worse, I’ve specialized in big productions,” Muruzábal tells Variety – as well as what she describes as smaller “event” auteur titles.

A first slate will be unveiled in upcoming months. One “priority area” are several feature films: “I need to breathe and handle slightly briefer time periods,” Muruzábal said. Kolojdziej and Muruzábal are collaborating on a series and on a feature.

Amazon's Red Queen is a top Spanish TV show with stellar performances and a captivating storyline. Vicky Luengo shines as Antonia Scott, a genius investigator with haunting visions. The ensemble cast, including Hovik Keuchkerian and Celia Freijeiro, elevates Red Queen's success.

Amazon’s Red Queen (Reina Roja) includes a large ensemble that provides compelling performances to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Created by Amaya Muruzabal, the thriller follows a woman named Antonia Scott, who gets wrapped up in an investigation of a string of vicious kidnappings and murders. This is one of the best Spanish-language TV shows to stream due to its compelling storyline, twists and turns, and incredible performances.

The main actors in Red Queen anchor the series, pushing the series forward at a rapid pace. Additionally, the rest of the ensemble provides some of the most moving performances. The overall success of the series is unsurprising,...

Amazon Prime Video has a brand-new hit series called Red Queen, featuring a thrilling cast of actors playing exciting characters.

Known in Spanish as Reina Roja, Red Queen centers on an intellectually gifted woman who runs a secret experimental police project in Europe before having everything backfire and put her in serious trouble.

This woman's organization deals with other cases involving kidnapping and brutal murder in Spain and across the rest of the continent.

Read full article on The Direct.

In the previous episode, Antonia and Gutierrez were determined to locate where Ezequiel had hidden Carla Ortiz. Their investigation led them to uncover the true identity of Ezequiel, who turned out to be Sandra, Fajardo’s daughter. Sandra, the real mastermind behind the murders and abductions, sought revenge and aimed to emotionally break Antonia by also kidnapping her son, Jorge. Now, the pressing question remains: Will Antonia be able to save her son, rescue Carla, and bring Sandra and Fajardo to justice? The answers lie in the final episode of the Amazon Prime series Red Queen.

Spoilers Ahead

How Did Laura Help Antonia?

Ezequiel, aka Sandra, has given Antonia a deadline of 30 hours to find her son Jorge before she makes good on her threat to kill both Jorge and Carla. Faced with this ticking clock, Antonia is desperate to evade the police’s attention and take Gutierrez’s help,...

Red Queen is an Amazon Prime TV series based on a popular Spanish-language book by Juan Gómez-Jurado. The story centers around Antonia Scott, a remarkably intelligent girl with an Iq of 242. She’s recruited to be part of a secret police project in an organization called Red Queen. Police officer Jon Gutiérrez asked to be her squire, and they’re tasked with solving two interconnected crimes. The first case involves the gruesome murder of the son of a powerful banker named Laura Trueba in her mansion. Simultaneously, the daughter of the wealthiest man in Madrid named Ramon Ortiz is kidnapped. Antonia and Jon suspect these crimes are linked, orchestrated by the same perpetrator to send a chilling message. As they dive into the investigation, they encounter numerous challenges. Will they be able to decipher the clues and catch the culprit before it’s too late? Or will they fall victim...

A sign of Spain’s rising profile as a top market for Prime Video, Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios, and James Farrell, the L.A.-based VP of international originals at Prime Video, flew to Madrid this week, with the world premiere of “Red Queen” (“Reina Roja”), the series adaption of the first book in Juan Gómez-Jurado’s hit trilogy, taking place on Monday night.

The streamer is rolling off the record-breaking finale of its first weekly live entertainment show “Operación Triunfo,” and has revealed that the top three of the the ten most-watched Spanish Originals of 2023 – “My Fault,” “Awareness” and “Los Farad” – have received on average 80% of streams outside of Spain, reaching a milestone for the international reach of Prime Video’s non-English language content.

“The last 12 months has been a truly remarkable time for Spanish-language content,” said Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios at Prime Video.

What’s new on Amazon’s Prime Video in February 2024?

In light of Valentine’s Day, Prime Video nailed it. This February, the platform is bringing a variety of new shows and movies for you and yours. There is something for everyone — from the latest releases to classic romantic comedies to thrillers and more.

Rom-com “Upgraded,” starring Camila Mendes and Archie Renaux, hits the streamer on Friday, while a series adaptation of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s steamy spy thriller “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” is already taking the world by storm since its Feb. 2 debut with stars Donald Glover and Maya Erskine.

The platform will also debut 2015’s “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” with Tom Cruise and Rebecca Ferguson, last year’s animated “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” and the well-liked 2014 indie “St.Vincent” with Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts and Chris O’Dowd.

And don’t forget about...

Fabula-Fremantle’s “Hot Sur,” The Mediapro Studio’s “El Mal” and “Two Nights in Lisbon,” from Portugal’s Hop Films and the U.K’s Heroes Films, look like potential standouts at next week’s Content Americas Copro Pitch 2024, one of its industry centerpieces.

These series projects will be joined by crime mystery thriller “Delito,” from Barcelona’s Grup Focus TV & Films, behind banner Amazon Original “Reina Roja,” “Iron Woman,” a tumultuous political saga from Brazil-based Jarsom Wayans, two high concept doc series – Argentina’s “Climate Migrants” and Brazil’s “Mystery of the Megafauna” – and bio doc feature “Farraquito, a Flamenco Story,” profiling the famed flamenco bailaor.

Shaping up as one of the biggest new titles to be brought onto the market at Content Americas, “Hot Sur” marks the latest from a fruitful 2019 multi-year first-look deal between Fremantle and Fabula, headed by Pablo and Juan de Dios Larraín, which has already yielded “La Jauría,...

Spain’s TV fiction industry is exercising some caution after high-end Spanish-language series lifted off in 2018.

“We all wanted to launch so many projects, so many new platforms arrived that there was no time for analysis,” says Bambú co-founder Ramón Campos.

As streamers scale back on originals and sales cycles slow, the industry has time for larger re-calculation.

“We come from a spectacular moment, in terms of both quality and volume,” says Sonia Martínez, series editorial director at Buendía Estudios.

That groundbreaking moment, championed by series like “Money Heist” and “Elite,” propelled Spanish fiction production to historic heights of global popularity.

“There is a virtuous circle that began in 2018 and has been continuously regenerating. Spain’s talent base already interests international audiences,” says María Valenzuela, Movistar Plus Intl.’s general manager.

But the country’s TV production scene is still cycling through the fruits of the boom: the number of...

Amazon’s Prime Video has announced a 2023 Spanish production slate which takes in movies and series from directors, writers and above all producers who have set Spain’s box office and global streamer rankings on fire over the last decade.

Talent attached to the three new movies and three series unveiled Tuesday in Madrid at a Prime Video Presents Spain event include “Hildegart,” from the producers of 2022 Berlin Golden Bear winner “Alcarràs,” “Un hipster en la España vacía,” produced by Lazona Films, which made ”Spanish Affair,” the highest grossing Spanish film ever in Spain; and “Apocalipsis Z: El principio del fin,” backed by Nostromo Pictures, behind “Through My Window,” the sixth-most watched non-English movie ever on Netflix.

Another title, docuseries “El Circo de los Muchachos” is co-written by Pepe Coira, co-scribe of “Hierro” and “Rapa,” two of the most popular series to date on Telefonica’s Movistar+.

The news slate...

Exec says streamer is not cutting back on number of shows being commissioned.

James Farrell, head of intenational originals at Amazon Studios, said the streamer is not cutting back on the number of shows it makes but instead is being “responsible” about budgets at a time of wider economic challenges.

In a keynote interview at Series Mania, Farrell was asked about the challenges facing streamers at a time of growing competition and a greater emphasis by many on turning a profit rather than high spending to secure subscribers.

Farrell said: “It’s not impacting the number of shows or films...

Seismic shifts in the world’s entertainment industry have thrown a global spotlight on Spain’s film and TV industry as never before.

Foreign productions are flocking to Spain, spending €263 million (266 million) in 2021, double the 2016-19 average, according to a ProFilm study. International inward investment in national productions has also grown on an unprecedented scale.

All the big streamers have beached in Spain. Reed Hastings cut the tape on Netflix’s first European Production Hub, in Madrid’s Tres Cantos, in 2019. Viacom Intl. Studios (Vis) Emea and Asia and AMC Networks Intl. Southern Europe have set up production operations in Spain. Other players — Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max and Starzplay — run offices in the country.

Capitalizing on such a massive presence, in March 2021 the federal government announced an Avs Hub plan aimed at sinking 1.6 billion into the entertainment industry. It is designed to turn Spain into one of the...