The convergence of media. Internet audiovisual platforms (Over - The - Top) and their impact on the audiovisual market in Spain

Abstract

Introduction. Among the current pay television offer, the impact of OTT operators (streaming audiovisual services) in the transformation of the current panorama of the Spanish audiovisual market stands out. Objectives and Hypotheses. The general objective is to analyze the current situation of the television panorama in Spain and compare it with the available data about the emergence of OTT operators. We start from the hypothesis that it raises an initial growth situation towards a saturated but powerful model, which makes it possible to fragment audiences even more, but which calls into question the linear television model and raises serious questions about the viability of its business model. Method. An exhaustive review of the information published by secondary sources, whether periodic or not, at the national level, as well as of the specialized press was carried out. Results. The decrease in linear television consumption in benefit of IPTV and OTTs is confirmed. In Spain, pay television revenues are equal to those of free-to-air television, confirming the change of model towards a television system based on video-on-demand and mobile devices. The OTT market is increasingly diverse but is highly concentrated in just two operators, Netflix and HBO Spain. Conclusions. The hypothesis is confirmed by finding a saturated audiovisual panorama that represents a benefit for viewers in terms of increasing the quality of productions, especially those related to fiction, but which also entails a problem of visibility of the contents and a problem of exhaustion for the spectators.