The plan to boost the audiovisual sector Spain, Audiovisual Hub of Europe, presented last March 2021 by the President of the Government Pedro Sánchez, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño, is part of the Agenda España Digital 2026 and its objectives include turning Spain into a leading country in audiovisual production in the digital era, a pole of attraction of international investment and talent, and with a strengthened industry-services ecosystem to export and compete in international markets.
The Plan "Spain, Audiovisual Hub of Europe" will mobilize estimated public resources amounting to 1,603 million euros, over the period 2021-2025, and its goal is to increase by 30% the audiovisual production made in Spain at the end of the period. The financial resources of this Plan will come from the General State Budgets and European Union funds (mainly, the European Recovery and Resilience Fund, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Creative Europe Programme for the period 2021-2027.
The plan includes public investments and reforms to achieve a significant boost to the entire value chain of the audiovisual industry based on the strengths that Spain possesses, such as a solvent audiovisual industry, well-trained and prestigious professionals, a creative capacity recognized worldwide and a comparative advantage in the growing global market of audiovisual production in Spanish.
This project is based on a comprehensive view of the audiovisual sector in all its formats (cinema, series, shorts, advertising, videogames or animation) and an integrative vision that transcends the audiovisual to link with culture, tourism and the country’s own image.
"Spain, Audiovisual Hub of Europe" is structured around three priorities:
- Turning Spain into a pole of attraction for audiovisual production
- Improving the competitiveness of companies through the application of new technologies
- Generating talent by reducing the gender gap
In order to achieve these objectives, the Plan proposes measures on four main axes:
- Digitize, internationalize and attract investments
The planned investment is 240 million euros. En este eje se desarrollará un Programa de internacionalización del sector audiovisual, desarrollado por el Ministerio de Cultura y Deporte e ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones, y un Programa de atracción de rodajes e inversión exterior. In addition, a single point of information and a centralized point of contact will be created, the ‘Spain Audiovisual Hub Bureau’, which will provide information, assistance and support to potential investors in the sector, both foreign companies wishing to invest in Spain, and Spanish companies interested in the internationalization of their activity.
- Improvement of financial and fiscal instruments
Measures are proposed to facilitate access to funding, on the one hand, and those dedicated to the application of tax incentives for audiovisual production in Spain, on the other. It has an investment of 1,330 million euros until 2025.
- Availability of talent and development of human capital
The objective of this axis is to adapt the training plans to the competences demanded by the industry and support the training that the companies themselves offer to their workers. In addition, institutional support will be provided for the implementation and dissemination of training programmes implemented by companies in the audiovisual sector. These measures are complemented by others included in the National Digital Skills Plan, which devotes a specific space to women’s access to training and qualifications in the audiovisual field. It will have 15 million euros of investment.
- Regulatory reforms and elimination of administrative barriers
The fourth axis has a budget of 18 million euros and has to do with reforms aimed at improving regulation and eliminating administrative barriers, which include the simplification and reduction of administrative burdens of the immigration system for reasons of economic interest and the creation of a digital window for visas and/or residence and work authorizations related to audiovisual projects in consular offices. Also, among the reforms contemplated in the Plan are the projects of the General Law of Audiovisual Communication and the Law of Cinema.
Expressions of interest / Calls for proposals / Tenders
- Call for general grants for the production of feature films on the project for 2024. Component 25: Spain, Audiovisual Hub of Europe.
- Call for general grants for the production of feature films on the project in 2023. Plan to boost the audiovisual sector. Agenda España Digital 2026.
- Regulatory bases for the granting of public aid for the internationalization of video games and digital creation, and by which the call for proposals is approved corresponding to the years 2023 and 2024. Component 25, “Spain Audiovisual Hub”.
- Call for grants for the participation of Spanish films and other audiovisual works, completed or in project, in international audiovisual events Held between November 2022 and 31 October 2023. Component 25: “Spain Audiovisual Hub of Europe”, Investment 1: ‘Programme for the promotion, modernisation and digitalisation of the audiovisual sector’.
- Direct grant of a subsidy to the Audiovisual Mutual Guarantee Society Bonds SGR. Plan Spain Audiovisual Hub of Europe.
- Call for grants for the participation of films and other audiovisual works in Spain, completed or in project, in international audiovisual events held between November 2022 and 31 October 2023. Component 25: Spain Audiovisual Hub of Europe (Spain AVS Hub).
- ENISA 2023 Financing Lines. For innovative business projects promoted by small and medium-sized enterprises in the audiovisual and video games sector, as well as the cultural and creative industries. Plan Spain Hub Audiovisual.
- Direct grant of two grants to the School of Cinematography and Audiovisual of the Community of Madrid (ECAM) and to the Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya (ESCAC) for training in digital skills to professionals in the field of cinematography and audiovisual. National Digital Skills Plan. Plan to Boost the Audiovisual Sector.
- Grants for the organization of film festivals and contests in Spain during the year 2023. Component 25 of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan: Spain, Audiovisual Hub of Europe.
- Regulatory bases for the granting of public aid for the promotion of the video game sector and other forms of digital creation, and call corresponding to the years 2022 and 2023. Financing of investment projects to improve the competitiveness of the video game and digital creation sector, improve its resilience and boost its internationalization. Spain, Audiovisual Hub of Europe.
- Aid for the international distribution of Spanish cinematographic films for the year 2022. Objective: internationalization of the national audiovisual industry, within the Audiovisual Sector Promotion Plan. Agenda España Digital.
- Grants for the participation of Spanish films and other audiovisual works, completed or in project, in international audiovisual events. Component 25 of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan: Spain, Audiovisual Hub of Europe.
- Call for grants for Immersive Content, Metaverse and Web3 projects. Plan to Boost the Audiovisual Sector.
- Grants for the participation of Spanish films and other audiovisual works, completed or under project, in international audiovisual events within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. Open until November 14, 2022.
- Preliminary Public Consultation for the purpose of drawing up a draft regulation on the development of the obligation to promote European audiovisual works in audiovisual communication services. The public consultation will remain open until September 30.
- Preliminary Public Consultation for the elaboration of a draft regulatory norm for the development of Law 13/2022, of 7 July, General of Audiovisual Communication, relating to Audiovisual Commercial Communications
- Call for Grants for the year 2022 aimed at the creation or improvement of digital ecosystems in the audiovisual sector , within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan of the Government of Spain.
- Order ETD/677/2022, of 14 July, establishing the regulatory bases for the aid programme in the field of the information society for the creation of a digital ecosystem in the audiovisual sectorand we proceed to its call corresponding to the year 2022, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
- Regulatory bases for the granting of aid by the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and Digital Infrastructures and call for grants for projects of experimental development and innovation of processes through technologies associated to Metaverso and Web 3.
- Resolución de 20 de mayo de 2022 de la Presidencia del CDTI E.P.E. of grants for the year 2022 of the Program Projects R+D of audiovisual technologies and of videogames. Project "Spain Audiovisual Hub of Europe".
- Call for grants from the Program R&D projects of audiovisual technologies and videogames, within the framework of the Plan to Boost the Audiovisual Sector Spain Audiovisual Hub of Europe.
- Selective support for the production of feature films on the project for the year 2022.
- Grants corresponding to the year 2022 for laboratories and incubators of creation and development of audiovisual projects. First line launched by the ICAA, funded entirely with Next Generation funds from the European Union as part of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.
- Centralized service of attention and resolution of consultations for the audiovisual sector in the field of internationalization and attraction of investments called Spain Audiovisual Hub Bureau
- Expressions of interest regarding the “Plan to boost the audiovisual sector (Spain Audiovisual HUB)” within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan
- Second public hearing and information on the Preliminary Draft General Law on Audiovisual Communication