Netflix's Diego Ávalos Details Spain Strategy at Málaga Talent

Mar 12, 2026 11:16am PT Netflix’s Diego Ávalos Pitches Accessibility and Flexibility to Emerging Spanish Talent at Málaga Netflix’s Spain, Portugal and Turkey content VP told Málaga Talent that the streamer reads up to 2,500 projects a year, works with more than 60 Spanish production companies and holds IP on less than 25% of its 1,000-plus Spanish titles By Emiliano de Pablos Plus Icon Emiliano de Pablos Latest Spain’s Animation Sector Presses for Bigger IP Ambitions, Faster Rules and a Stronger Global Drive 1 day ago Latido Boards Sales on Ángeles González-Sinde’s Málaga Competition Player ‘Blue Lights of Benidorm’ 3 days ago ‘Argentina, 1985’ Producer Cindy Teperman Boards Lorena Muñoz’s MAFF Project ‘Why Did You Come Back Every Summer?’ (EXCLUSIVE) 3 days ago See All Netflix's Diego Ávalos at Málaga Talent Credit: danimedina2 Netflix’s Diego Ávalos used a Málaga Talent appearance on Tuesday not only to explain how the streamer sources, develops and finances projects in Spain, but also to send a broader message to the local business: Netflix wants to be seen as accessible, flexible and closely connected to the creative community it hopes to work with. Speaking to a packed room at the UNIA Puerto venue in conversation with Silvia Iturbe, an executive at Mafiz – Málaga Festival Industry Zone, Ávalos — Netflix’s VP of Content for Spain, Portugal and Turkey — offered a public snapshot of the company’s Spanish commissioning logic: multiple entry points for projects, varied deal structures and a strategy driven less by algorithm than by audience connection. Related Stories Former Banijay Exec Unne Sormunen Named CEO of Finnish Creator Studio Tarinatalli: ‘We See This Moment as an Opportunity’ (EXCLUSIVE) Brit YouTuber KSI Making Docuseries About Takeover of Lower League Soccer Club Dagenham & Redbridge FC (EXCLUSIVE) What gave the session its edge, however, was the way Ávalos handled the room. Relaxed and articulate, he moved easily between broad strategy and the practical mechanics of development. For a room full of emerging creators, many of whom likely view streamers as distant gatekeepers, the presentation suggested something more open, more personal and more plugged into the day-to-day realities of Spain’s production sector. Popular on Variety “There is no single moment to speak with us,” Ávalos said, stressing that projects can reach Netflix in many forms — as a bible, a script package, a rights-based pitch or a more advanced production already carrying broadcaster support or public funding. He cited TV3 series “Génesis” as one example of a title where Netflix came in after regional financing had already been assembled, taking the series for Spain, Latin America, the U.S., Canada and much of the EU. “The Asunta Case,” by contrast, was described as a project that grew out of Netflix’s prior relationship with Madrid-based Bambú Producciones, moving from an initial idea into bible, pilot and eventual greenlight. That contrast underlined one of Ávalos’ key points: Netflix is not operating with a single development template. Some projects arrive highly packaged. Others begin with an idea, a rights hook or an early creative conversation. The priority, he said, is less the format than whether the material clearly communicates the story, its creative vision and its audience potential. The session also offered a revealing glimpse into the scale of Netflix’s Spanish pipeline. Ávalos said the company receives between 1,500 and 2,500 projects a year and reads all of them, adding that the team aims to respond to every submission. He also stressed the breadth of Netflix’s production relationships, noting that over the last seven years the company has worked with more than 60 Spanish production companies. Netflix, he suggested, is not operating through a narrow circle of repeat suppliers or a single model of engagement. The company can work directly with producers, writers and directors and, when needed, help connect emerging creators with more established production partners if a project requires stronger industrial packaging. Ávalos also praised the strength of Spain’s production sector, told the young audience that the future of the industry rests with them and treated the session less as a formal corporate appearance than as a genuine exchange. His rapport with the room reinforced the image of a Netflix executive closely plugged into the local business and alert to the ambitions of rising talent. He also pushed back firmly on the notion that Netflix commissions by algorithm, describing data instead as a compass rather than a blueprint. That distinction sits at the center of Netflix’s local pitch. Ávalos pointed to broad local comedies, thrillers, character-driven dramas and action titles as categories that have worked especially well for the company in Spain, while acknowledging that breakout exceptions such as “Nowhere” and “The Platform” show the limits of rigid rule-making. One of the session’s most notable clarifications concerned ownership. Of the more than 1,000 Spanish titles Netflix has launched over the last seven years, Ávalos said, the company holds the IP on less than 25%, with the vast majority structured as acquisitions or other partner-led models in which rights remain with producers, creators or writers. That point fed into a wider argument about Netflix’s role. In Ávalos’ telling, the streamer does not replace the independent sector so much as work through it. Netflix executives do not take producer credits, he said, because the creative and industrial heavy lifting belongs to third-party producers, writers and directors. Festivals, meanwhile, remain an important part of that system, both as launchpads for titles and as spaces where executives can identify new voices, fresh formats and shifts in creative energy. Ávalos also noted that short films remain a useful talent-discovery tool, even if short-form distribution is not central to Netflix’s local strategy. For the Málaga Talent audience, Ávalos made the case that Netflix wants to be seen not just as a buyer or commissioner, but as a partner that listens on Spain’s broader creative landscape. 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