{"id":57738,"date":"2025-11-20T13:59:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-20T13:59:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/57738\/"},"modified":"2025-11-20T13:59:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T13:59:10","slug":"itv-studios-sharpens-its-spanish-ambitions-after-plano-a-plano-acquisition-features","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/57738\/","title":{"rendered":"ITV Studios sharpens its Spanish ambitions after Plano a Plano acquisition | Features"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following ITV Studios\u2019 surprise summer move to take a majority stake in Plano a Plano, Lisa Perrin and company founder C\u00e9sar Ben\u00edtez outline how the Spanish producer behind Valeria and Toy Boy will evolve within the UK-based global studio.<\/p>\n

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Founded in 2011, Plano a Plano had, until recently, remained as one of Spain\u2019s last major independent producers \u2013 a fact the company was always keen to point out.<\/p>\n

That is why it came as a surprise when, in July this year, ITV Studios announced it had acquired a majority stake <\/a>in the Madrid-based outfit, known for titles including Valeria (Netflix), El Pr\u00edncipe (Mediaset Espa\u00f1a), Servir y Proteger (RTVE), Ladrones: la Tiara de Santa \u00c1gueda (Disney+) and the Netflix\/Atresmedia hit Toy Boy.<\/p>\n

However, talks between the two companies had been ongoing for years, according to Lisa Perrin, MD of international production at ITV Studios. \u201cDuring Covid we kept meeting, but it just wasn\u2019t the right time for them, so we continued this long courtship until they told us they were ready to sell,\u201d she tells C21\u2019s Spanish-language sister publication Cveintiuno<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always wanted to work with them because they\u2019re brilliant. C\u00e9sar is hugely talented and he has an impressive team around him,\u201d she adds, referring to Plano a Plano founder C\u00e9sar Ben\u00edtez, CEO Emilio Amar\u00e9 and executive producer \u00c1lvaro Ben\u00edtez.<\/p>\n

All three remain firmly at the helm today and, according to Ben\u00edtez, \u201cvery little has changed\u201d in the wake of the acquisition. \u201cTo be honest, personally the sale hasn\u2019t changed my day-to-day at all. We\u2019re still doing exactly what we did before. They give us a lot of trust and freedom,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

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Plano a Plano\u2019s international coproduction Cicatriz<\/p>\n

What has changed, however, is Plano a Plano\u2019s international reach.<\/p>\n

The company had spent years building a coproduction arm to retain more rights over its IP. This strategy led to international coproduction Cicatriz \u2013 produced with Dopamine, Asacha Media Group and Adrenalin, and launched last year on RTVE, Prime Video and Telekom Srbija \u2013 as well as the psychological thriller Innato, set to premiere on Hulu in the US and Netflix in Spain.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur first objective is to maintain the level of production we have in Spain, which is very high. But while Spain is in a fascinating moment for drama; the market has only so many windows. Our growth will come from what we do outside Spain,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

This is where ITV Studios\u2019 global network becomes transformative. Plano a Plano can now tap into the studio\u2019s international production labels and distribution muscle, enabling it to pursue projects that were previously \u201cunviable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving ITV Studios behind us means having a very powerful backer,\u201d he stresses.<\/p>\n

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Ben\u00edtez also believes this is an ideal moment for coproduction, arguing that the streaming wars have ended with a clear winner in Netflix and that platforms are increasingly focused on retention rather than acquisition.<\/p>\n

\u201cBudgets have inflated and it\u2019s impossible to make so many originals. That\u2019s why it\u2019s interesting for streamers to retain the IP only in their territory at a reasonable price and for the producer to finance the rest,\u201d he says. \u201cThat benefits everyone: the industry, the platforms, the broadcasters and the producers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another advantage, both Ben\u00edtez and Perrin agree, is access to a scripted formats catalogue. \u201cThe adaptation of scripted formats is something we\u2019re going to see more and more. And we have a large catalogue that we can now move in Spain,\u201d says Perrin, pointing to the example of Italy.<\/p>\n

There, ITV Studios-owned Cattleya adapted the BBC One drama Gold Digger for Netflix, released last year as Inganno. The adaptation performed so strongly that Netflix is already in discussions with Cattleya for further opportunities, Perrin says.<\/p>\n

Cattleya, meanwhile, launched its Spanish arm in 2021, also set up by ITV Studios. Two years later, the group expanded further with the creation of ITV Studios Iberia, focused on unscripted.<\/p>\n

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The Madrid-based outfit is known for titles such as Valeria<\/p>\n

All three now form part of ITV Studios\u2019 Spanish footprint, a market where the company has been looking to strengthen its premium drama offering and operate with multiple labels. \u201cIn the UK and other territories, we already operate with multiple labels, both in drama and unscripted. And Spain is big enough to sustain several labels, while also benefitting from the global reach of Spanish-language content,\u201d Perrin notes.<\/p>\n

Beyond ITV Studios, Plano a Plano\u2019s new phase also coincides with a strategic return to film. After more than a decade almost entirely focused on television, the company returned to the big screen with La Tregua. More films are now in development, conceived as vehicles for experienced TV directors and writers looking to transition into cinema.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s our responsibility to help our people grow,\u201d Ben\u00edtez says. \u201cAnd film allows us to do that and gives us a prestige that lifts everything else we produce.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plano a Plano will form part of the Spanish delegation in Content London<\/a>. You can connect with their copros director Esther Agraso through My Content London delegates platform.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Following ITV Studios\u2019 surprise summer move to take a majority stake in Plano a Plano, Lisa Perrin and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":57739,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[160,162,161],"class_list":{"0":"post-57738","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-plano","8":"tag-plano","9":"tag-plano-headlines","10":"tag-plano-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57738\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}