On September 15, 2023, with great expectation, the Basque content streaming platform Primeran was launched. The digital window of EITB has been taking shape throughout the year 2024 and we could say that the portal built has solid pillars and foundations.
Putting it in context, the approach of Primeran created by EITB is as follows: To guarantee and support the consumption of Basque audiovisual content and Basque language content in the face of new consumption patterns in the digital media of young people in the Basque Country.
The mission is to make Primeran a reference platform for the consumption of young people under 30 years old, betting on the quality and quantity of content in Basque and, at the same time, turning it into a modern platform in line with the times.
As a unique OTT in Basque, Primeran also has the vocation of being the country’s cultural platform of reference for the Basque society as a whole. In this platform, the desire is to have all the audiovisual cultural production produced in Basque.
The offer is diverse and includes Basque and international production series, cinema, documentaries, cuisine and music, as well as exclusive content and live streams created for the Primeran platform. New attractive content every week, free of charge.
Throughout the year 2024, Primeran has made a substantial journey consolidating its foundations and fulfilling its vision and mission. Little by little, the Basque streaming platform has been equipped with special and attractive content.
Important milestones in 2024
THE SERIES
The original content forms an important pillar of the content offer of the Primeran platform and an example of this is the first “great” premiere of the OTT in Basque: a thriller set in the surfing world starring Itxaso, Jon Plazaola and Nerea Mazo and a series that in a few days had thousands of views.
Detective Touré, a fiction based on the saga of Jon Arretxe, starring Malcon T. Sitté also premiered in Basque on Primeran. And there are several other fictions in the production phase that will premiere this year in Primeran. And if the new productions are very important, in search of less recent fiction series, many viewers also come to the platform. Another important place is the black thriller Hondar ahoak and several series related to social and current affairs, such as Altsasu and Alardea.
Among the foreign productions, more than 380 series translated into Basque have also been released, totaling more than 18,000 episodes.
The series that have been a reference in the history of basque fiction in the audiovisual showcase have an important space: Goenkale, Jaun ta jabe, Bi eta bay, Kutsidazu bidea Ixabel, Martin, Balbemendi, etc. It has become the corner of our legendary basque series.
THE CINEMA
Moving towards becoming the repository of the Basque film industry, from the 1980s to the present day, the most important Basque films have a prominent place in Primeran. Starting with the film Escape of Segovia, we can find the most important titles of the current fertile Basque harvest.
In February, for example, the film 20,000 Species of Bees was shown on the platform. The award-winning film by Estibaliz Urresa has broken all records and is the most watched film on the OTT platform.
In September, Irati, the film that beat all the records on the big screen, premiered and has been the second most watched film of the portal.
In the ranking of the most watched movies we have two innovative content behind them, Glued again. The first musical fiction in Basque, starring Jon Plazaola and Leire Martinez, was premiered in public at the San Sebastian Festival.
Among the most watched films in the Basque film industry is also Josu Martínez’s Bizkarsoro, a film set in a fictional town in the Northern Basque Country in the 20th century that deals with the repression suffered by the Basque language and the Basques.
Continuing with the Basque productions, among them there are Ane, Inactivity in the Storm, Unicorn Wars and even the restored Tasio.
THE DOCUMENTARIES
In the documentary section, there is space for all kinds of topics. About history and memory, with a focus on music and Basque groups (such as Zetas, Izaro, Bulegoa or Gatibu) or sports and mountains.
An example of the diverse range of documentary offerings it is the M11, which has won four days of March, a three-part documentary series and the Ondas Award, for example. As well as Generation Porn and Generation Click documentary series aimed at teens and parents, which have received several awards. Other innovative contents include the transmedia documentary series Surfin 360º 12, which uses immersive reality technology.
THE ORIGINAL CONTENTS
Primeran has also embarked on the path of premiering original and original content. To begin with, he brought the new program Dastattoo: a program that has brought together the kitchen and the world of tattoos. This was followed by a new session of Iban & Maite Beauty interview chambers by Iban García Tik-Tokerra and his mother Maite Azpiazu. The Iban García program premieres its second season and is among the most consumed contents.
We have also had other Basque content that premiered successfully: Black Sheep A talk led by Xabin Fernández and a series of interviews with several well-known women by Nerea Alias in Intimacy.
Primeran has also managed to bring together Anjel Alkain and Xabier Iraola again in a humorous tone in Fast and Rural.
We also have among our successful contents the innermost adventure series in the world led by Odei Jainaga in the Art of the Beasts and Crimes with Our Black Chronicle with Xabier Madariaga.
THE ALLIANCES
The Basque OTT was born with the spirit of being a Basque institution and cultural association, as well as a meeting place for audiovisual expressions. Therefore, the network of alliances with different partners, institutions and major film festivals is reflected in Primeran. Special collections have been created within the framework of the San Sebastian Festival, Zinebi, Zinegoak, Bilbao Fantastic Film Festival or Mendifilm editions, for example.
THE LIVE STREAMS
In addition to this summer, Primeran has incorporated live streaming broadcasts to the platform. This path, which has been modestly pursued, is intended to give a strong impetus this year. Live streaming began with a space for electronic music and the first proposal was the Dantz Festival in San Sebastian, from Sagues. In 2025 he will perform several high-level Basque music concerts.
2024 IN NUMBERS
To date (February 2025), 132,500 people have registered in Primeran and the number of consumption hours has reached 722,000 hours.
In total, it has made 1,185 hours of content available to Basque users throughout 2024. These include feature films (105), series (757) and documentaries (353).
In the specific case of December, for example, 49,300 hours have been consumed, the highest figure since June; 6,800 hours more than last month.
FROM NOW ON, WHAT?
With regard to the quantitative objective, on the one hand, the aim is to increase the number of subscribers: Reach 200,000 subscribers by 2025. Primeran wants to continue attracting new users with a focus on the strategic target, the young, so juxtaposed.
On the other hand, the OTT promoted by the EITB aims to increase the average consumption and commitment through the loyalty and consolidation of the platform and the doubling of the consumption rate of the content per month.
With regard to the content strategy, the main emphasis is on the live performances related to music, incorporating the main concerts of the emblematic Basque groups that will take place in 2025.
It will also be a priority to support the Basque film industry and to be the window of Basque film premieres, as well as the big screen. Recently published, for example, in the section of Basque cinema, the series of films by Moriarti Productions, symbol of Basque cinema: Flowers, Handia, 80 egunean and Lucio, among others.
And, of course, Primeran will delve into the effort in the original productions. In addition to supporting the Basque audiovisual industry, we will promote the consumption of content in Basque without losing sight of the target of young people.
Therefore, in this first long year, Primeran has provided solid funds and will deepen in them, satisfying the expectation and desire of the Basque society to be a benchmark basque cultural platform.
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THE MAKUSI UNIVERSE
The content for children and young people has been on the digital platform MAKUSI since April 26, 2024. The results so far are remarkable: Looking at 36,345 subscribers and 86,000 hours in January, for example.
This new community, created by EITB, is dominated by entertainment in Basque; and the youngest members of the household will live their online experiences in a safe way. MAKUSI offers children and young people the opportunity to immerse themselves in our language and culture with the best offer of content and the most cutting-edge technology to be able to access it from all devices and environments.
The MAKUSI universe has two main pillars: the digital platform and the club. The digital platform MAKUSI has a varied audiovisual offer for children and young people: more than 100 titles of cartoons and series; 5800 episodes; 120 films... more than 1700 hours of exposure. It offers personalized content based on age, and also displays a description tab of the values that each content promotes.
We have sessions produced specifically for MAKUSI: for the youngest ones, the Potx and Lotx clowns session; with increasing age, the magazine related to the current Kalaxka; and a fictional series called Power up!. In January, the Dragon Ball arrived and the Dog Patrol is also on display.
In the MAKUSI club, on the other hand, the members have a lot of advantages: free tickets, raffles, the possibility to participate in competitions, etc. Through the MAKUSI Club, the participation of children and their participation in the community is encouraged. MAKUSI also has its own street events, as well as social media accounts, and its own merchandising.
The year 2024 has been the starting point for the MAKUSI project, which will continue in the coming years to consolidate a competitive and multi-media digital audiovisual ecosystem that is competitive for children, safe for parents and a reference for society, that strengthens our culture and language, and that promotes the interaction and participation of children, thus creating the digital community of the future.
Nerea Zendoia Elexpuru
Head of MAKUSI