20 Years of Antena 3

This article originally appeared in the MIPTV 2010 issue of TV Europe.

As the Spanish commercial broadcaster Antena 3 de Televisión celebrates its 20th anniversary, it faces the best of times and the worst of times. Of all the major European TV markets, Spain was hit the hardest by the economic downturn, and advertising revenue last year fell by some 20 percent. Despite this dismal climate, Antena 3 managed to position itself as the highest-rated Spanish network among the coveted 16-to-54 demographic.

Trailblazing is nothing new to Antena 3. As the first commercial network to air in Spain, it brought choice and innovation to Spanish viewers. Two decades later, it continues to build on its programming strengths: popular homegrown series, news and hit American shows. Carlos Fernández, the director of content at Antena 3, recalls the network’s first accomplishments and looks forward to more success as the Spanish market improves and digital switchover provides new opportunities for growth.

TV EUROPE: How did Antena 3 help change the television landscape in Spain?
FERNÁNDEZ: We had the privilege of being one of the first private broadcasters to be on the air. We also began airing a few months ahead of Telecinco, and that constituted a true revolution in a market where competition was nonexistent. State-run TVE was the only offering available. Our presence paved the way in a number of areas. First, it offered a plurality of voices from an editorial standpoint. Second, we’ve contributed to creating an audiovisual industry in Spain that up to that point was practically nonexistent. There was only one company that commissioned programs, imagine that! We also helped increase television consumption. They say that all new offerings do is fragment [audiences], which is true, but at the same time, new TV outlets help boost consumption. So the increase in plurality and the beginning of a production industry are the factors that opened doors to new formats that weren’t available in Spain before.

TV EUROPE: What have been Antena 3’s most important contributions to television in Spain?
FERNÁNDEZ: Well, it’s difficult to boast—I think it would be too pretentious to say that Antena 3 has made any contributions. What I can say is that we’ve probably been pioneers in introducing television genres. If I had to choose, I’d pick the Spanish series. Recently, we aired a movie as a tribute to Farmacia de guardia, one of our signature productions of the ’90s. It was practically the first series of its kind to air in Spain [breaking audience records at the time]. There had been some big productions on TVE, but not along the same lines.
I believe we did contribute to Spanish TV a genre that was quite unfamiliar here and since then has garnered strong attention.

TV EUROPE: Twenty years later, what are the strengths in Antena 3’s slate today?
FERNÁNDEZ: From everything we’ve worked on since then, not only with Farmacia de guardia, we’ve offered a programming slate that is primarily American, with a series on the air almost every day. That’s one of our strengths now. We have a dominant position with Spanish series. We’re the only channel right now that airs three series in prime time that are ratings leaders. That’s the real strength. On top of that, of all the broadcast networks, we have the leading news programming. These are the two most important factors, in my opinion.

TV EUROPE: What role do imported series play in the channel’s programming?
FERNÁNDEZ: As you know, formats generally travel best. We’ve had great results with the recently launched Curso del 63, a European format. And a huge success in the U.S. is Undercover Boss, which we’ll launch in Spain soon. We’re always open to formats but under one condition: they must be innovative. They’re very important; we work a lot with them and we’ll continue to do so.

As far as foreign fiction goes, we’ve always had a space for series from the U.S. We’re the only private network in Spain that has a regular slot for film, which is important. Glee and Modern Family are two important productions we’ll have on our slate. Lie to Me is another series that’s part of our programming. We’re currently promoting Glee and we hope it will strike a chord with viewers, as well as Modern Family.

TV EUROPE: Tell us about the importance of news and information on Antena 3.
FERNÁNDEZ: It’s very important. We have a three-and-a-half-hour current-events program every morning. There are two daily one-hour newscasts, which keep viewers abreast of everything that goes on in Spain. This constitutes a broad offering and we’re about to debut thematic channels on Antena 3’s website as well. News is really important and we’re the point of reference in the private sector.

TV EUROPE: What is the advertising forecast this year for the Spanish market?
FERNÁNDEZ: The forecast isn’t different from the general economic forecast in Spain. It’s not clear when the crisis will be over and under what circumstances. As you might already know, there have been important legislative changes affecting advertising on public broadcasters. State-run TVE stopped airing ads on January 1. This goes to show the dramatic situation the market is going through with declines of up to 30 percent. We can’t quite fathom just how much of a structural problem this really is.

We’re at a juncture now because, as I said before, we can’t isolate the industry’s problem from the general financial climate. There are a series of stimulus plans in place and we understand they could influence ad spend, but we don’t know how long those plans will be in effect, and how the market is going to react. We’re doing a bit better than last year but we are unsure about the future.

TV EUROPE: How have you been working with advertisers during these difficult financial times?
FERNÁNDEZ: Our commercial division has done a magnificent job. We have the advantage that we were the top-rated network among private broadcasters last year. That gives us a very solid position, and as you know, the transition to digital television is under way. We’re leaders in DTT, which allows us to be well positioned with advertisers despite the declines in ad spend. We also introduced an important innovation from a commercial standpoint, where we sold advertising on all channels simultaneously. The end result was encouraging despite the environment.

TV EUROPE: How are you using online and mobile to enhance the connection with your audience?
FERNÁNDEZ: We have an initiative called 3.0, which refers to the versatility of our content for television, mobile or online. We try to adapt our content to mobile or online, offering programs that viewers can watch while chatting and commenting at the same time. We soon hope to be pioneers with the launch of webisodes. There are more projects along these lines that help us stand out from the pack.

TV EUROPE: What can you tell us about your possible merger with laSexta?
FERNÁNDEZ: It’s a bit premature for me to mention anything at this time. Talks are under way, and we’ll take as much time as necessary. It’s too early to think about what effects it might cause. What is clear, however, is that there has to be a different approach from the one we have now.

TV EUROPE: What opportunities and challenges do you see in the next 12 to 24 months?
FERNÁNDEZ: I believe opportunity and challenge go hand in hand. Our first priority in Spain is the switch to digital. We’ll see how the economy progresses and if we’ll need to carry out measures that will maintain profitability, but that’s another story. I believe that new platforms, and everything that has to do with new technological applications, and the added value this brings to content, are going to be the great challenges in the coming years.