International Journal of Communication 8 (2014), 2301–2322 1932–8036/20140005 Copyright © 2014 (Rosa Franquet & Maria Isabel Villa Montoya). Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives (by-nc-nd). Available at http://ijoc.org. Cross-Media Production in Spain’s Public Broadcaster RTVE: Innovation, Promotion, and Audience Loyalty Strategies ROSA FRANQUET Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain MARIA ISABEL VILLA MONTOYA Pontificia Bolivariana University, Colombia Multiplatform content broadcasts are one way of securing the position of public-service broadcasting in a competitive and changing market. This research focuses on the cross- media fiction series Águila Roja (Red Eagle) and Isabel, produced by Globomedia and Diagonal TV for Radio Televisión Española (RTVE), the Spanish radio and television corporation. RTVE is a public-service broadcaster that has recently undergone a significant reconversion as a consequence of the recession and a new funding system based exclusively on financial contributions from the state, with a ban on paid advertising, which had been permitted in the past. We examine the way this organization creates productions for multiple platforms and the innovation strategies that support these processes. Using a comparative case study approach based on the actor-network theory, we found a strong 360-degree cross-media production logic in RTVE’s fiction series. However, a detailed analysis reveals difficulties and contradictions regarding the efficacious use of each of the technological platforms available as well as limitations on the actions undertaken in the social media. Keywords: transmedia television, production analysis, public-service media Introduction Radio Televisión Española (RTVE) has focused on producing television shows based on historical events and adventures for Channel 1 of the public broadcasting service. According to Morales Morante (2011), fiction production in Spain is undergoing a deep-seated structural transformation stemming from convergence. This diversification of content and means of participation brings users added value, increases their attention and interest, and thus creates processes of empathy and loyalty. In other words, this set of platforms is the gateway to cross-media television, and the success or failure of the most Rosa Franquet: rosa.franquet@uab.cat Maria Isabel Villa Montoya: mariaisabel.villa@upb.edu.co Date submitted: 2013–12–11