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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: Pilar Blasco
Channel21 International | Fall 2023
Dating show Deep Fake Love uses AI to test couples
Creative DNA T hink of five Spanish shows, in any genre, that have surprised you in the past year. Or even in the past decade. Take a look at the producers behind those titles and I’m willing to bet you’ll find Banijay Iberia. The European production and distribution giant has a powerful presence in Spain and Portugal, comprising eight of its own labels (Cuarzo Producciones, Diagonal TV, Endemol Portugal, Gestmusic, Magnolia, Shine Iberia, Tuiwok Estudios and Zeppelin), plus stakes in DLO Producciones, Portocabo and Pokeepsie Films. In addition, LaLiga Studios was launched this year as a joint venture between Banijay Iberia and LaLiga, the Spanish football league, to create premium sports related content. So can we expect further acquisitions? “We are always analysing the market, but right now we are putting the spotlight on entertainment in general, not only on production companies,” says Pilar Blasco, CEO of Banijay Iberia. While closely monitoring the current challenges within the industry, she relies on the company’s strongest weapon. “The only way to get through these times is by getting creative. We’ve lived through thousands of crises and we’ve survived. It is creativity what saves us.” And although it’s a term that is used more often than it is actually put into practice, this creativity – which Blasco says is “in the group’s genes” – is reflected on screen. In Spain, to name just a few of the group’s projects, Zeppelin has produced the reallife video game Time
With a dozen labels under its umbrella, Banijay Iberia is the largest production group in Spain. Its CEO, Pilar Blasco, explains what their lifelines are in turbulent economic times. By Pina Mezzera
Zone (HBO Max) and the first local anime series, The Idhun Chronicles (Memorias de Idhún, Movistar Plus+). Portocabo has transformed the way thrillers are told with Hierro, and Gestmusic explored the unknown with the musical reality show Operación Triunfo for Amazon Prime Video (see
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As a group, we invest heavily in creativity and we have large internal funds to support this. A lot of people think we only create what is aired, but we’ve actually got lots of projects in the drawer. Pilar Blasco
Banijay Iberia
page S15), having created other international hit formats, such as Your Face Sounds Familiar (Atresmedia). “As a group, we invest heavily in creativity and we have large internal funds to support this. A lot of people
think we only create what is aired, but we’ve actually got lots of projects in the drawer,” says Blasco. In August, Banijay launched the last of these pots of money, the Al Creative Fund, which was set up for its labels in 21 territories to finance ideas using artificial intelligence (AI) technology at their heart. Despite the controversy surrounding it, Blasco defends AI when it comes to creating content. “I’m really interested in AI and I think it’s going to be useful for creators as part of the broader creative process. There will always be people who are afraid of new technology, but it’s good to keep AI close as it can be used to develop good ideas much more quickly.” And the proof is in the pudding. In July, Netflix debuted Deep Fake Love (Falso amor), the first dating show in the world to use deep-fake technology. Created by Cuarzo Producciones, the Spanish format tests five couples’ trust by asking them to guess if images (of their partner kissing another contestant, for example) are real or have been altered by AI. A prize of €100,000 is at stake. “The combination of classic entertainment formats alongside brand new technology results in excellent content,” she says. As well as innovation, Blasco has found a second lifeline in difficult times: the Spanish language. An early experiment of this crossing of borders has been Bosé, a drama series based on the life of Spanish singer Miguel Bosé, coproduced by Shine Iberia with Latin American VIS (Paramount Global’s international studios, now rebranded as PTIS), Elefantec Global and Legacy Rock for Paramount+ in Latin America and SkyShowtime in Spain. “The Spanish language is the future. I always like to think that, thanks to the language, Spanish people have a foot in America and Latin Americans have a foot in Europe. This bridge, built by Spain, is really interesting and we need to keep it open,” says Blasco.