Catalan language prominence on major streaming platforms like Netflix is set for a significant boost.
A new working group has been formally established to promote Spain’s official regional languages in video-on-demand services, with Catalan, Basque, and Galician at the forefront of the initiative.
The inaugural meeting of the Working Group for the Promotion of the Official Languages of the Autonomous Communities took place this Tuesday.
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Consequently, this marks a coordinated push by three key audiovisual regulators: the Consell de l’Audiovisual de Catalunya (CAC), the National Commission for Markets and Competition (CNMC), and the Valencian Audiovisual Council (CACV).
Catalan Language Prominence A Key Objective
Xevi Xirgo, President of the CAC, is coordinating the group. He stated their goal is to “advance to improve the prominence of Catalan, Basque, and Galician in on-demand television service platforms.” Furthermore, representatives from Galicia, Navarre, the Basque Country, and the Balearic Islands also participated, alongside officials from the Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Function.
The meeting reviewed a report by the CAC titled ‘Catalan in OTT Catalogues’. Additionally, the group analysed the creation of subsidy funds to boost dubbing and subtitling. They also discussed compiling a comprehensive catalogue of all productions dubbed or subtitled in Spain’s official languages.
Another critical topic was ensuring the “prominence” of dubbed and subtitled content on platforms in multilingual countries. This initiative reflects a broader cultural effort, similar to the ongoing discussions highlighted in our coverage of linguistic preservation in the Balearic Islands.
According to the official announcement from Europa Press, the group’s formation is a direct response to the growing dominance of international streaming services. The aim is to ensure these platforms contribute to the visibility and sustainability of regional languages, rather than overshadowing them.
This move aligns with wider urban policy shifts in Barcelona that prioritise local identity and sustainability. For instance, the city’s approach to reusing construction waste in public works demonstrates a similar commitment to localised, responsible governance. The push for Catalan language prominence represents a cultural parallel to these material sustainability efforts.
The working group’s next steps will involve detailed negotiations with platform operators. The ultimate goal is to integrate these languages more seamlessly into user interfaces, recommendation algorithms, and content libraries. Therefore, subscribers in Catalonia and other regions could soon find it much easier to discover and watch content in their native tongue.
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