What’s trending in Spanish drama series and how the sector is performing abroad and domestically, these are some of the points summarized by Gloria Salo of Spanish consultancy firm GECA during a MIPCOM presentation sponsored by Audiovisual of Spain on Tuesday.
The report “Spanish Fiction 2026, Between New Stories and New Seasons”, which covers data from January 1 to June 2026, confirms the strong position of Spanish fiction worldwide – ranking seventh in the top 10 global fiction premieres – as well as the Spanish appetite for drama, comedy, trending genre crossovers and the consolidation of platforms that are sustaining the surge of fiction series.
Salo explained, “At a time when Spanish fiction is flourishing creatively and structurally and reaching out to the rest of the world, it is extremely important for us to examine new trends.” Diversity On Mip Creative Hub.
The data analyst pointed to three factors behind the success of Spanish drama, which saw an 83% increase in Spanish fiction premieres between 2021-2025: risk-taking producers willing to challenge genre boundaries and themes, creative use of strong IP “repurposed for extreme efficiency and performing very well at home” and scripted shows with comeback potential. “All of this contributes to a highly dynamic drama sector, which is vital for the entire audiovisual ecosystem,” he said.
Four findings from the GECA research:
Spain is at number 7 in the top 10 global premieres
In a highly concentrated market where three countries – the US, Japan and South Korea – accounted for 55% of the 857 fiction premieres during the first semester 2026; Spain ranked seventh with a 5.2% share of the 30 new titles released domestically. The US remained at the top position with 31.8% share out of 177 titles.
continued spanish boom
Spanish premieres at home increased by a record 83% between 2021-2025, rising from 40 to 73 local fiction premieres. Output for the first half of 2026 remained relatively stable with 30 new titles compared to 33 for the same period in 2025. Another 24 new releases are lined up for the rest of the year; Most of them are the original (20) followed by the new seasons (3) and a saga.
Most Popular Styles in Spain
As in the rest of the world, drama – across a wide spectrum from crime, mystery and fantasy to family drama – proved to be the most popular genre, accounting for half of the premieres (15 titles) during that period. Titles range from Atreplayer’s “33 Days” and Netflix’s mystery thriller “Oasis,” created by renowned true-crime investigative journalist Carles Porta, to Skyshowtime’s thriller “The Tribute” (“El Homenaje”) and the Prime Video thriller “Day One” about the dangers of new technology.
Next were comedies and dramas with eight and four new releases (26.7% and 13.3% of premieres, respectively), followed by mini-series (two or 6.7%) and animation with one title. Reflecting the vibrancy and diversity of the narratives, Prime Video had the engaging premiere of “Naughty Business” (“Cochinas”), a comedy in which a woman starts a porn business after the death of her husband. Disney + offered comedy through a thriller lens with “If It’s Tuesday, It’s Murder” (“Sis Martes, es Asesinato”), Prime Video’s sketch comedy “Vida Perra” created by Rafael Barcelo and Enrique Pardo, and Movistar Plus +’s comedy drama “I’m Always Everyman” (“Yo Semper a Veses”), which won Best Screenplay in the Cannes series.
Worth noting that the report is the value of refundable capacity to maintain production output. Nine renewals were released in Spain in the first half of 2026, such as seasons 4-5 of Netflix’s “Alfa Males” (“Machos Alfa”). Several new seasons posted new stories for familiar characters, such as the latest installment of “Berlin and the Lady with an Ermine” (“Berlin y la Dama de Armino”) from Netflix, Movistar Plus+’s mob thriller “El Inmortal” and “Marbella: Expedient Judicial”.
drama for streaming
Testament to streamers’ leading position for drama content in Spain, 27 out of 30 premieres launched digitally (90%) and only three on linear TV. SVOD players took two-thirds of the titles and a mix of US and major Spanish streamers released the most shows, with four each: AtresMedia’s AtresPlayer, Movistar Plus+, Netflix and Prime Video.
Basque pubcaster EITB’s free VOD service Primeran launches three shows, Telecinco 2, and 10 local and global players including Disney + HBO Max just premiered a new title. “The absence of a clear market leader and the limited weight of linear television reflects a market ripe for on-demand consumption,” the GECA study said.