Samuel Castro and Juan Alía are the directors of Iberseries Platino & Industria, an event that recently brought together a large number of professionals in Madrid (see the news). We chatted to them.

Cineuropa: What is your assessment of the sixth edition in terms of partnerships and agreements?
Samuel Castro: Exceptionally positive. It has confirmed that Iberseries & Platino Industria is already one of the major international fixtures for the audiovisual business, and a space where alliances are forged, investment opportunities are identified and projects are propelled forwards. But the important thing is the quality of the relationships that are established. Its main success has been building an ecosystem of trust.

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Juan Alía: The value of this edition also lies in the strengthening of the business fabric and the cooperation among those who produce, manage and circulate works. It’s about creating conditions so that professional relationships translate into viable, long-lasting projects. Iberseries & Platino Industria connects the series and film business with a broader vision of the Ibero-American audiovisual field: a community capable of sharing experiences, defending its interests and gaining international presence. Our goal is to keep listening to the sector and, in 2027, to tackle decisive issues such as financing, artificial intelligence, and new production and business models, with a programme that delivers real value to the industry.

Where do series stand in 2026, and where are they heading in 2027?
JA: The evolution of the audiovisual market compels us to broaden our view of a work’s lifecycle, understanding that its value is not limited to the premiere nor to its exploitation in a single window. Today, each project must be approached with a long-term perspective, taking into account the various distribution avenues, opportunities for international circulation and the ability to connect with diverse audiences across different territories.

SC: We are seeing a change in the cycle. After a period marked by the accelerated growth of platforms and an extraordinary demand for content, 2026 is a year of greater rationalisation of investment and a search for sustainable business models. Today, it is not enough to present a good idea; it must be accompanied by a viable financial structure, a distribution strategy and an offering capable of connecting with increasingly fragmented audiences. Looking ahead to 2027, we will see further consolidation of international co-production, a growing prominence of intellectual properties, and a diversification of formats and release windows.

What surprised you especially about what was discussed and presented over these few days?
SC and JA: The speed at which the map of our business is changing, and how issues that a few years ago seemed secondary have become central to the future of the industry. What we found particularly revealing was the growing prominence of companies and players that are redefining our relationship with audiences. The presence of YouTube, for example, forces us to revisit the traditional boundaries between television, digital platforms and content creation. We should also highlight the discussion around the internationalisation of local stories. And there is another fundamental issue: we are moving away from talking exclusively about projects and increasingly talking about companies, catalogues, rights and investment structures. That shows the industry is maturing and that the conversation no longer revolves solely around which stories we want to tell, but also around how we can build an economic model that allows us to keep telling them.

What other serious issues repeatedly came up during the sessions and are causing concern for the sector?
SC and JA: One concern is the economic sustainability of independent production. The industry faces a complex combination of factors: rising costs, greater difficulty in accessing financing, a concentration of buyers and mounting pressure to guarantee the profitability of content. Intellectual property has become a fundamental issue. More and more, we are discussing who retains the rights to a work, who controls its international exploitation and how the value generated over time is distributed. There is also concern about the fragmentation of audiences and the difficulty of giving content visibility in an extraordinarily competitive market. Another pertinent issue is how professionals are adapting to the technological changes that are transforming the audiovisual industry. The incorporation of artificial intelligence and new production, creation and distribution tools is reshaping workflows, business models and the professional profiles the sector demands.