The Catalan audiovisual industry leads the sector with the largest audiovisual cluster in Europe, now encompassing 204 companies

The Catalan Audiovisual Cluster has added around thirty new partners in the first half of the year, consolidating the entity as the most powerful in Europe in terms of the number of companies and institutions. With 204 Catalan member companies, the Catalan Audiovisual Cluster is ahead of reference clusters in the continent, such as those in Sweden, France, or Belgium. Among the new companies and entities associated are Rakuten, Sonar, CCCB, KPMG, Selecta Vision, Triodos Bank, Texas Cinemas, Sonilab, Algam Ibérica, and Blanco y Negro. The Cluster held today its General Assembly to review the year and present the new incorporations and their role in the audiovisual landscape.

The Catalan Audiovisual Cluster has become the reference agent of the Catalan audiovisual industry. The entity promotes internationalization strategies to position Catalan audiovisual on the European and global stage, while also encouraging foreign investment to strengthen the local ecosystem. The Cluster enhances connections and generates opportunities among industry companies through sessions on the latest technological trends and initiatives like Talent Week, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2024. The grouping acts as an active and relevant agent in major city events and initiatives, such as the ISE conference or the Tres Xemeneies project. Aiming to make Catalonia the audiovisual hub of Southern Europe, the Cluster plays a crucial role as an interlocutor with the Public Administration.

Miquel Rutllant, President of the Catalan Audiovisual Cluster: “In our journey as an audiovisual cluster, with the incorporation of top-level companies, we see that the Catalan audiovisual industry is increasingly powerful both nationally and internationally. This demonstrates that the audiovisual sector is strategic as an economic engine for the country. Audiovisual is entertainment and culture and intersects with other sectors. It is now also present in art centers, museums, and music festivals.”

 

The internationalization of Catalan audiovisual

In 2024, the Catalan Audiovisual Cluster, the local partner of ISE, the world’s largest audiovisual and systems integration trade show, has taken a step further to promote strategies for the internationalization of Catalan audiovisual.

This year, in collaboration with ACCIÓ, the entity organized a mission to the United States for partners to witness firsthand audiovisual trends and position Catalan audiovisual abroad. Hollywood studios and the NAB Show in Las Vegas opened their doors to members of the Catalan Audiovisual Cluster. Cluster partners visited leading sector companies such as Sony, Disney, and Universal, and stepped onto the famous virtual sets where productions like The Mandalorian, Barbie, and House of Dragons were filmed at Lux Machina’s facilities.

In Las Vegas, cluster representatives visited the Sphere and the NAB Show, the world’s largest convention dedicated to communication, entertainment, and broadcast industries.

Following this US mission, the cluster has met with Sony Pixomondo, specializing in virtual sets and interested in the Catalan audiovisual industry. After the success of this mission, the cluster plans another in the UK next April.

To strengthen the audiovisual ecosystem, the Cluster collaborates with the Department of Culture of the Generalitat and the Barcelona City Council and is part of the Catalonia Cluster of ACCIÓ (Department of Enterprise and Labor). Upcoming plans include contacts with key companies and agents in the United States and Europe to attract businesses and investments to our territory.

 

Boosting the Catalan audiovisual hub

The Catalan Audiovisual Cluster also aims to make Catalonia the audiovisual hub of Southern Europe. In this regard, the Catalunya Media City project is particularly relevant, putting Catalan audiovisual on the European map. In April, the Generalitat approved the budget for the first phase of the project. Miquel Rutllant: “We are proud to see the Tres Xemeneies project advance. This country project will help position our audiovisual industry internationally and will be a significant boost to innovation and talent. Clusters can be of great help in promoting actions that enhance this boost.”

Additionally, over the next two years, the Catalan Audiovisual Cluster will hold the presidency of the Spanish Network of Audiovisual Clusters (REDCAU), which acts as the national representative to institutions.

To generate opportunities, the Cluster organizes the Talent Week annually, now in its 10th edition. This Talent Week, held in November, connects emerging talent from universities with the industry to innovate and find new formats. During these days, the cluster organizes networking dynamics, expert sessions, and activities designed to facilitate contact between audiovisual sector companies and young talents seeking job opportunities. Additionally, students pitch their projects to leading companies. Over these ten years, more than 400 students from 36 Catalan, Spanish, and European universities have participated in these pitching sessions.

 

About the Catalan Audiovisual Cluster

The Catalan Audiovisual Cluster is the entity that brings together 204 of the leading companies and institutions of the Catalan audiovisual industry. These companies belong to 12 segments of the industry: production, production services, post-production, studios and audiovisual and technological parks, distribution and exhibition, television and radio and podcast, immersive experiences (VR, XR, AR, metaverse and mapping), technology, communication and advertising, video games, training, and events and integrated systems. The Cluster works to place Catalan companies at the center of economic and cultural development. Its mission is to act as a unifying and dynamic element to position the industry at the center of the country’s cultural strategy.