Production processes and work routines in Argentine and Spanish fiction series for audiovisual digital platforms

Abstract

The article seeks to describe the production process and work routines that allow the production of original fiction series in Argentina and Spain by audiovisual OTTs. This study assumes that these companies establish or delimit an audiovisual productive order that combines features specific to the sector with modes of intervention on work logic. Furthermore, a shift is proposed in relation to the instances of recognition of audiovisual content, in pursuit of the positioning of the brand image of the main operators of digital audiovisual platforms. The descriptive and exploratory research applies qualitative study techniques, in particular conducting in-depth interviews with key actors in the sector to analyze the productive environment of audiovisual OTT in both countries. Among the main findings, the following stand out: the relationships with local production companies that can be read as a line of continuity with the processes of productive outsourcing adopted by television networks in the nineties; the patterns established for the approval and execution of projects that impact creative work; the modalities of staggered hiring of personnel (labour flexibility) at specific moments of production; the control mechanisms prevailing in the production phases and the limited negotiation possibilities of workers in relation to the conservation of rights over audiovisual works. The intervention of these companies appears as a threat to the internal market due to their financial capacity to commission productions and intervene in the demand for employment.