How the Canary Islands are becoming a European Audiovisual Hub
The Canary Islands have spent the last decade quietly building Europe's most active audiovisual production hub. Once known exclusively for tourism, the islands now host hundreds of film and television productions a year.
This has attracted major international streaming projects as well as the development of serious infrastructure for studios, technicians, and post-production facilities.
The shift isn’t minor, either. It’s actually so large that audiovisual is now considered one of the archipelago’s most strategically important non-tourism sectors. Something that was needed for the islands.
Why International Productions Keep Choosing the Canaries
There are several reasons why the Canaries audiovisual hub is growing.
The first is its tax regime. The Zona Especial Canaria (ZEC) offers audiovisual productions a corporate tax of just 4%. In mainland Spain, this is 25%. Other incentives include a 50% tax credit on qualifying spend for international productions filming on the island and up to 54% for Spanish productions.
Alongside this, you have natural diversity. The Canaries offer volcanic deserts, dramatic coastlines, lush forests, mountain ranges, and dune landscapes all within a short drive. A production team can film a “desert planet” in the morning and a Mediterranean cliffside in the afternoon without travelling overseas. Something few locations offer.
Plus, they have year-round weather. With 4,500+ hours of sunlight per year and consistently mild temperatures, productions can schedule shoots with minimal weather risk.
A Growing Local Crew and Studio Base
Something else that makes the Canaries a go-to location for audiovisual projects is the local talent. As this is known as “the European hub” for films, television, etc., the talent here is outstanding.
This makes live environments particularly good as well. We imagine the live games will be streamed here shortly. The UK already does this well, and its gambling taxes have just changed massively, so this could be a good opportunity for the Canaries if they provide better tax incentives.
They already have the infrastructure in place to offer presenter-led shows like live Bubble Bingo. For example, the equipment, crew, locations, etc. Therefore, it could be a nice addition to the already thriving audiovisual projects and crew they have based on the islands.
They could offer a lot more as well. This is just a singular example. But it just goes to show the economic power these small islands present if they’re managed correctly.
The Outlook for Canarian Audiovisual
Looking ahead, the trajectory for the Canary Islands audiovisual sector is positive. The government has set up a perfect environment for locals and international studios to thrive. Everything from the location to the tax incentives is perfect.
We imagine that they’ll only get better as well. Their audiovisual sector is helping to balance their tourist-based economy, which is massively beneficial.
How they grow this sector will depend on how innovators in the industry take advantage of this location. However, with the infrastructure they have available, all digital-based streaming could thrive here.
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