Prime Video is reviving classic Spanish talent gala format Operación Triunfo and has unveiled its latest slate of scripted shows, films and doc series from the European country.
The 12th season of the show, which is filmed in front of a live audience, will stream on the service in Spain and Latin America later this year.
The first 11 seasons were on Spanish public broadcaster RTVE, and ran between 2001 and 2020. It was major ratings hit and cultural phenomenon.
The musical talent show follows a series of aspiring contestants as they enter a musical academy to train and display singing and artistic skills. Each week, in a live gala, they compete on stage.
“Operación Triunfo has entertained fans for over 22 years and brought joy to millions of viewers. We are thrilled and honored to bring back this beloved show to fans not only in Spain but also across Latin America, and make history with the first series to be streamed live on Prime Video in Spain,” said James Farrell, Vice President, Local Originals at Prime Video. “Prime Video has a proven track record of delivering live events to millions of Prime members, and we look forward to creating a fantastic weekly show that our customers won’t want to miss.”
Banijay owns the format and its Gestmusic label in Spain is returning to produce the new show.
“Operación Triunfo has been a beloved staple for 11 seasons and seen contestants such as David Bisbal, Amaia, or Aitana grow into global sensations,” added Maria José Rodriguez, head of Spanish Originals at Prime Video. “We are delighted to collaborate with Tinet Rubira and the incredibly talented team at Gestmusic to deliver a bigger and better version of this iconic show including weekly galas streamed live on the service and a 24h live stream through YouTube to the existing community of loyal fans, and a whole new generation of viewers on Prime Video.”
The announcement came during a Prime Video Presents… showcase in Madrid today.
Also unveiled was Hildegart, a film based on a true story about a girl who became one of Spain’s most brilliant minds and leading authorities on female sexuality. It comes from director Paula Ortiz, with Eduard Sola and Clara Roquet writing. María Zamora of Elastica Films as the producer along with Stefan Schmitz of Avalon.
Apocalipsis Z: El Principio Del Fin is an action thriller film from Nostromo Pictures based on the Manel Loureiro novel. The supernatural story follows a strange, rabies-like disease begins to spread unchecked across the planet, transforming people into extremely aggressive creatures, as grieving husband Manel is forced to use his wits to survive at home, along with his grumpy cat.
Un Hípster en la España Vacía is a comedy based on the book of the same name by Daniel Gascón, directed by Emilio Martínez-Lázaro, and starring Lalo Tenorio and Berta Vázquez. LAZONA is producing, with Gonzalo Salazar-Simpson producing and Daniel Catro writing and executive producing.
According to Prime Video, it follows “Quique, who is entrusted with leading the politics of Empty Spain in a village in Teruel, but he doesn’t even know where to start.”
El Fin is post-apocalyptic action comedy series from Versus in collaboration with Diffferent Entertainment. It’s directed by David Sainz, who created the show with Enrique Lojo. It follows a man who abandoned his family when faced with news of the apocalypse, only to find the disaster does not come to pass and is forced to deal with the magnitude of his mistake.
El Circo de lod Muchachos is a docu-series from scripted screenwriter Pepe Coira and doc maker Elías León Siminiani (800 Metros) about Father Jesús Silva, known as ‘El Cura,’ who created a city and educational project for street children without resources in Benposta, a small neighborhood in the suburbs of a Galician city during Franco’s dictatorship in 1956. Vaca Films will make the five-part series, which Siminiani directs.
There will also be a local version of Japanese format Takeshi’s Castle called El Castillo de Takeshi from Encofrados Encofrasa (La Resistencia, Buen Trabajo). Jorge Ponce and Javier Valera are exec producing the eight-part show, which is directed by Miguel Campo.
The original Japanese version aired in Spain on linear TV between 1990-1995.
“This new slate is testament to our ambition of creating high quality shows and movies with broad appeal, which will delight local and global audiences,” said Farrell. “We’re working with the best creatives in Spain to uncover the stories and formats that we think will connect with Spanish audiences at home and around the world.”