As Spain continues to solidify its position as the world’s most dynamic exporter of scripted television, Atres Media Sales has announced a major deal with AXN Japan for the crime drama Una vida menos en Canarias.
The agreement marks another step into one of the toughest but most prestigious Asian markets and signals growing demand in Japan for premium Spanish drama.
This follows previous breakthroughs for Atres Media, including “Eltiempo entrecosturas” (“The Time in Between”), which aired on NHK, and Hulu Japan’s hit prison thriller “Vis a Vis” (“Locked Up”).
A high-energy procedural with a sun-drenched noir aesthetic, “Una vida menos en Canarias” premiered on Atres Media’s streaming service Atresplayer, rolled out in primetime on flagship network Antena 3, and then embarked on an international journey.
The series had a second life on Netflix in several territories across Europe and was later licensed in Poland through pay TV operator Romanze.
Although Japan’s new deal only covers AXN’s linear channels, the agreement highlights how Atres Media’s integrated broadcast and streaming ecosystem is a powerful incubator for global exports.
“Today, domestic success has become an important factor for international sales. Only the best works in the domestic market have the ability to succeed internationally,” said José Antonio Salso, Head of Acquisitions and International Sales at Atres Media.
Mr. Salso praised the group’s dual leadership across Spanish terrestrial television and Atresplayer, a digital platform with more than 670,000 subscribers and 5 million unique users per month, for providing a springboard for global travel.
Overseas, markets are increasingly driven by risk management. “There’s too much supply. Buyers want proof,” said Miguel Garcia, director of sales at Atres Media Sales. “If we can prove that the show has done well elsewhere, there will be less uncertainty.”
Produced by Plano a Plano, supported by ITV Studios, for Atresmedia, “Una vida menos en Canarias” is produced by Fran Carballal, Enrique Lojo and Curro Royo.
Starring Gines García Milan (The Heirs, Isabel) and Natalia Verbeke (The Billionaire Banker), the series balances classic noir characteristics with Atlantic light and humor, blending the tension of the case of the week with the chemistry of two contrasting detectives.
For Atres Media, exporting from Spain to Japan is by no means new territory. “The Time in Between” aired on NHK General in 2015, and “Locked Up” became Hulu Japan’s first major Spanish-language acquisition, building a loyal fandom for the Spanish thriller.
But each new sale carries symbolic weight. “This agreement with AXN strengthens our ties with Asia and represents a step forward in a historically complex region,” said Salso.
The deal joins a series of high-profile international sales that have kept Atres Media at the forefront of Spanish drama exports.
One of its latest hits, “Sueños de libertad,” produced by Banijay’s Diagonal TV for Atremedia, premiered in Latin America and Brazil on HBO Max on September 22, following earlier distribution in the Baltics and the Middle East.
Currently the most-watched daily drama in Spain, it proved that long-form continuous storytelling can be successful for streamers around the world.
Meanwhile, Atres Media’s Buendía Estudios’ psychological thriller “Angela,” a Spanish remake of the British hit “Angela Black,” has become a global phenomenon, ranking among the top non-English releases on Netflix in more than 40 countries.
In February, “A muerte” (“Love me till death”), produced by Atres Media in collaboration with Dea Planeta, Playtime Movies and Sabado Péliculas, premiered globally as an Apple Original series on Apple TV+, achieving a milestone in opening the platform’s doors to Spanish-made productions.
“We have been ahead of the curve in Spain when it comes to building partnerships with global companies,” Salso claimed.
“From Netflix post-Money Heist to Apple TV+ with A muerte to the integration of Atreplayer selections within Disney+, Atresmedia Sales is acting as a catalyst for new opportunities with third parties in the market,” he said.
Looking ahead, Sira, the long-awaited sequel to The Time in Between, reunites Atremedia, Buendía Estudios and Netflix, with Adriana Ugarte reprising her iconic role.
The period drama, scheduled for 2026, will premiere on Atresmedia in Spain and then expand around the world via Netflix.
“Clients are producing more of their own original work, so they are less reliant on buying from us than they were during the first wave of the platform. However, Spanish content continues to be appreciated globally. If a platform bets on a Spanish series, it works all over the world,” says García.
Garcia said current demand trends revolve around repeat elements. Female-centered storytelling like “Angela” and “Silla” connects with a wide audience. Highly produced period dramas remain one of the most reliable choices for mainstream platforms. Crime and thriller format with clear procedural steps, typified by “Una vida menos en Canarias.” There are also daily dramas produced to prime-time standards, such as “Sueños de libertad.”
Executives also see a market opportunity in the growing “broadcasting” of streamers.
“Streamers are going mainstream and becoming broadcasters in name only. This is making them increasingly natural clients for groups like Atresmedia, which generate content to feed both commercial free channels and their own Atresplayer platform,” Garcia said.
