SPi Takes Part in Microdrama Panel at Iberseries

Iberseries & Platino Industria, one of the leading international events promoting the Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking audiovisual industry and fostering international co-production, took place from 29 September to 2 October and featured a panel entirely dedicated to microdramas. SPi joined the discussion as the pioneering production companies in this format in Portugal.

Under the theme “Vertical & Viral: The Rise of Microdrama,” the session brought together executives from microseries platforms and Pedro Lopes, General Director of Content at GRUPO SPTV.

As the industry debates the growing impact of Artificial Intelligence on the production of this type of content, with Holywater Tech estimating that AI-generated titles could eventually account for 50% to 60% of the market, Pedro Lopes highlighted SPi’s experience as a pioneer in the development of microdramas in Portugal.

The Portuguese production company has already developed five microdramas for RTP, as part of a strategy to connect with younger audiences. The projects reached 25 million views, with Pedro Lopes also highlighting the high rate of viewers watching the episodes through to completion.

While acknowledging that competing with vertical platforms originally built as technology companies presents a challenge for traditional production companies, Pedro Lopes emphasized that “we will continue to need real actors and real stars.”

For SPi, investing in microdramas also represents an opportunity to experiment with new storytelling approaches, production models and budgets, serving as a laboratory whose learnings can later be applied to other projects.

The discussion highlighted a rapidly evolving sector in which AI and live action are expected to coexist, while new players, business models and viewing habits continue to drive the growth of vertical content.