The Spanish TV and film production company Brutal Media to become part of BBC Studios’ Global Entertainment production network.
BBC Studios today announced an agreement that will see the Spanish producer, Brutal Media, become part of the BBC’s main commercial arm.
The addition of Brutal to its growing Global Entertainment production network will enable BBC Studios to respond to the increased appetite for BBC content from Spanish audiences and support Brutal Media’s ambitions to export original creative IP from Spain to the wider international market.
Founders Raimon Masllorens and Nèlida Sanchez will continue to lead the local team.
Under the new agreement, Brutal Media will continue to develop and market its slate of original IP in Spain as well as producing local adaptations of the unscripted and scripted formats in the BBC Studios catalogue. BBC Studios will distribute and produce Brutal Media formats outside of Spain.
The deal brings the total number of markets in which BBC Studios has a production base to 12 and supports the global media company’s stated ambition to double the size of its 2021/2 business by 2027/8. It follows an announcement earlier this week about BBC Studios Productions Australia’s acquisition of Werner Film Productions – an award-winning Australian scripted producer.
Founded in 2009, Brutal Media has a proven track record of producing hit shows for global streamers and local broadcasters in the unscripted and scripted space. Brutal Media’s latest work includes the recently announced original miniseries for Netflix, Asalto Al Banco Central, and The Academy (Sony Pictures Television), Vintage (3cat), original film Killer Book Club (Netflix), the series Welcome to Eden(Netflix) and The Hockey Girls (Netflix, 3Cat), film documentaries The End of the Storm (Sky TV, Liverpool FC) and Murder by the Coast(Netflix) and romantic comedy I Love You Stupid(Netflix).
Brutal Media’s portfolio also includes original formats This is Opera and This is Art, which were both broadcast in more than 70 territories. It has also produced This is Philosophy and Opera in jeans and fictions such as Laia and Felipe and Letizia alongside primetime family oriented factual shows El Paisano and El Foraster.
BBC Studios has successfully licensed formats into Spain for a number of years and has had considerable success with unscripted formats over the past twelve months, with brands such as Dancing with the Stars, The Great Bake Off, The 1% Club, Bridge of Lies, MoneyBags and The Greats launching across the major Spanish networks. Isabel Durán, Format Sales Director for the region, will transition to the new position of Head of Entertainment within the Brutal Media team.
Jacob de Boer, EVP, Global Entertainment at BBC Studios, said: “This agreement with Brutal Media is the natural next step for BBC Studios to expand our presence in the Spanish market. With their local expertise, strong local network and exciting development slate, Brutal Media is the perfect partner to produce the high-quality Spanish language content that we know local and global audiences are looking for.”
Brutal Media founders Raimon Masllorens and Nèlida Sanchez said: “We are proud to join the esteemed BBC Studios group, which served as a prestigious role model for us over the years with its renowned outstanding productions. Their catalogue offers us new and exciting opportunities, in both scripted and non-scripted content. The vision and values of BBC Studios are perfectly aligned with those upheld at Brutal Media. We look forward to becoming their arm in the Spanish territory, forging a partnership that promises to enrich both our endeavours and deliver premium content to audiences worldwide”.
Matt Forde, Managing Director, Global Entertainment, BBC Studios Productions, said: “It is a pleasure to welcome Raimon, Nèlida and the talented team at Brutal Media to BBC Studios. Together with the announcement earlier this week about Werner Film Productions in Australia, bringing Brutal Media into our award-winning production network is testament to our commitment to supporting the world’s best local creative talent, identifying complementary expertise in some of the world’s most dynamic media markets and showcasing it to our partners and audiences on a global stage”.
Brutal Media joins the BBC Studios Global Entertainment production network which has bases in the UK, Australia, France, Germany, India, South Africa, The Nordics and the US. Responsible for producing shows like Strictly Come Dancing, Eurovision, Dragons Den and The Antiques Roadshow in the UK, internationally the teams produce local adaptations of iconic brands such as Dancing With The Stars, The Great Bake Off, Weakest Link, The 1% Club, Luther, Doctor Foster and Ghosts. Original productions include EMMY award-winning Life Below Zero for National Geographic, The Wrestlers for Netflix, Wedding.com for Amazon, Space 22 for ABC, and Homegrown Tastes South Africa for BBC Lifestyle.
